The FA will investigate after a homophobic chant was heard at Old Trafford during Manchester United’s FA Cup third round win over Frank Lampard’s Everton.
This comes after a chant – “rent boys” – was directed at Frank Lampard, with reference to his Chelsea days.
It should be noted that not every fan at Old Trafford sung the chant.
Many United fans pride themselves on being part of an inclusive fan-base; and they would prefer to see the “rent boys” chant needs to stay firmly in the past.
Supporters were cautioned recently for opting to use the chant, so the FA will see tonight’s airing of it as a re-offence.
The chant in question was previously heard in October when United fans travelled to Stamford Bridge. At the time, United promised to work with fan groups to tackle the issue.
An FA statement tonight read, as per The Athletic: “We continue to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as the UK Football Policing Unit, in relation to the use of this term.
“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.”
A statement from United followed, which read: “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 today.
“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.”
