Over the weekend we saw another ugly racist incident involving Chelsea FC supporters. It was a chant heard at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium Saturday about Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata, one that contains Anti-Semitic lyrics targeted toward rival club Tottenham Hotspur.
It includes an offensive term often used to describe Jewish people, which these fans use as an alternative name for Spurs. Arsenal fans have also recently gotten in trouble for singing Anti-Semitic songs directed at Tottenham.
It was only a couple years ago that the whole wide world saw the ugly, disturbing scene on the Paris metro, in which a small group of Chelsea supporters sang “we’re racist, we’re racist and that’s the way we like” while denying a man entry to a subway car.
Today, during their news conference previewing the Blues UEFA Champions League match against Qarabag, the club promised to take strong action against this bigotry.
Chelsea FC spokesperson Steve Atkins said:
“We’re happy to speak about it again. We made an initial statement after the game the other night, but I’m happy to make clear: Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discrimination abhorrent, and the language that was used in that song the other night was totally unacceptable. People that use this kind of language against others always try and argue a grey area. There is no grey area. That language used is anti-Semitic.”
“We have a zero tolerance policy towards it, and if there is evidence that season-ticket holders or members took part in that and take part in the future, then we will take the strongest possible action against them, which includes bans.
“People should know that the police will be investigating and they will investigate all future such episodes, and we will support the police in anything they were to do, assist their enquiries and we will also support criminal prosecution of such behaviour and activity.
“We must be clear on this because it has to stop.”
Chelsea FC manager Antonio Conte made a statement as well: “I totally agree with the club. We must pay great attention.
“You know very well that I love our fans because they push us a lot in the game, but we must pay great attention in the future.”
Morata himself was likely expressing his disapproval of the chant, in a subtle manner, in the tweet below:
Since I arrived, I have been able to feel your support every single day, you are amazing and I'd like to ask you to please respect everyone!
— Álvaro Morata (@AlvaroMorata) September 9, 2017
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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