Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United: Managers condemn homophobic chanting at Stamford Bridge
- Published
Chelsea and Manchester United drew 1-1 on Saturday, with both goals coming after the 87th minute
Chelsea boss Graham Potter and Manchester United counterpart Erik ten Hag have condemned homophobic chanting by United fans during Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw.
Offensive songs were heard at points throughout the game at Stamford Bridge.
The Football Association said it would crack down on discriminatory behaviour.
"The FA strongly condemns the use of the term 'rent boy' and we are determined to drive it out of our game," said an FA spokesperson.
"We continue to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), as well as the UK Football Policing Unit, in relation to the use of this term."
Chelsea chose the game as an opportunity to support Stonewall's Rainbow Laces anti-discrimination campaign.
The club issued a statement to "condemn the language used by some individuals today at Stamford Bridge".
Chelsea added: "We are proud to be supporting Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign and today acts as proof that we must do more to make football a game for everyone."
Potter said "it's clear that we've still got a lot of work to do" when asked about the chanting while Ten Hag also criticised the songs.
"I think it doesn't belong in the stands, and I mention stands, whole stadium as well," the Dutchman said, adding that French defender Raphael Varane was also the target of songs when he went off the pitch injured in the second half.
"When Raphael came out it was the same the other side [from the Chelsea fans]; so we all have to stop doing that."
United released a club statement on Sunday morning condemning the chants, which said: "Homophobia, like all forms of discrimination, has no place in football. Manchester United is proud of our diverse fan base and the work we have done to reduce instances like we sadly heard at Stamford Bridge.
"We will continue to campaign for inclusivity and to tackle discriminatory abuse whether inside stadiums or online. This includes working with fan groups to educate fans on the offence which discriminatory language causes."
The FA statement added: "Part of our work in this area has been to provide the relevant authorities with impact statements from LGBTQ+ supporters, detailing how chants of this nature affects their experience and feeling of inclusion at football matches, so that a clearer stance and understanding on the chant can be established.
"We stand firmly against all forms of discrimination and we are striving to ensure our game is a safe environment for all, which truly embraces diversity and challenges hateful conduct both on and off the pitch.
"We believe football is everybody's game, and we will continue to do our utmost to use our influence to drive meaningful change so that our game is for all."
In January, the CPS defined the chant used on Saturday as a homophobic slur and said that fans singing the slur during matches were committing a hate crime.
Those found to have used the words could face prosecution.
In 2020, Chelsea alleged that a "large group" of United supporters made homophobic chants during that season's Premier League meeting at Stamford Bridge.
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