Sports11 September, 20262 min read
Hull City Fined £30,000 After Discriminatory Chelsea Chant; Three Supporters Banned
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Hull City fined £30,000 by the FA for homophobic chanting at Chelsea FA Cup match. Three supporters banned for a minimum of three years after the February game.
7 outlets told this the same way.
Hull fined over Chelsea chant
Hull City accepted a Football Association charge and were fined £30,000 after discriminatory chanting during their 4-0 FA Cup defeat by Chelsea in February at the MKM Stadium. The club said three supporters have been banned for a minimum of three years following the February match, and it urged fans not to repeat the chant ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Stamford Bridge.
“The club stated: ‘Hull City condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the offensive and inappropriate language used by the supporters responsible.’”
The Football Association charged Hull City with failing "to ensure its spectators and/or supporters (and anyone purporting to be supporters) do not use words or behave in an improper, offensive, abusive, indecent or insulting way" with a reference to sexual orientation. Hull City also said spectators were repeatedly warned over the stadium’s public address system and screens during the match, and the club condemned the “offensive and inappropriate language used by the supporters responsible.”
Bans, arrests, and warnings
The BBC said three people were arrested for allegedly engaging in homophobic chanting at the match, where spectators were repeatedly warned to stop the chants over the PA system and messages were displayed on screens. Hull City’s statement warned that the chant “is recognised as a homophobic slur and its use may constitute a hate crime,” and it said those using it could face arrest and criminal charges.
Punch Newspapers reported that spectators were repeatedly warned to stop by the stadium’s public-address system, while messages were also displayed on screens during the February FA Cup tie. The Hull Story said the club accepted a charge of breaching FA Rule E21, was warned about future conduct, and issued with an action plan after the homophobic chanting.
Premier League trip stakes
With Hull scheduled to face Chelsea again in the Premier League on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, Hull City said it was determined to avoid a repeat of the “ugly scenes witnessed earlier this year.” Goal.com reported that the club released a clear message to fans stating: "Ahead of Saturday's trip to Stamford Bridge, the club reminds all supporters that discrimination of any kind is wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
“Ahead of Saturday's trip to Stamford Bridge, the club reminds all supporters that discrimination of any kind is wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
The BBC said Hull City urged supporters not to engage in the same chant when they face the Blues in the Premier League on Saturday, after it revealed three supporters had been banned for "a minimum of three years". The Football Association’s charge and Hull’s acceptance of it mean the club is now operating under an action plan and sanctions tied to discriminatory chanting, with the club’s own statement warning that offenders face arrest and criminal charges.