General view inside the West Ham stadium
West Ham were handed the fine by the FA (Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)
West Ham United have been fined £120,000 for anti-gay chants carried out by its fans during the team’s match against Chelsea FC in February, the Football Association has confirmed.
The huge fine – equal to around $162,000 – relates to the match between the two London sides at Stamford Bridge on 3 February, which ended with a 2-1 victory to the Blues and saw Hammers fans direct homophobic chants towards Chelsea supporters.
Although not explicitly stated by the FA which chant was used, the ‘Chelsea rent boy’ chant is a common, deeply homophobic football refrain which has been directed at Chelsea players and supporters for decades, due to London borough of Chelsea’s queer history as an LGBTQ+ hotspot in the 1960s and 70s.
In 2022, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed the chant is a homophobic hate crime and not “harmless banter”.
In the days following the game, West Ham issued a statement saying the club “condemns the discriminatory and homophobic chants aimed towards opposition supporters”, adding: “The chant is wholly unacceptable and has no place in football or anywhere else.”
Following an investigation by the FA, which was launched in March, an independent Regulatory Commission decided to hand down the fine and a warning against West Ham, alongside imposing an action plan on the club.
The 3 February match ended with a 2-1 victory to Chelsea (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
“It was alleged that the club failed to ensure its spectators and/or supporters (and anyone purporting to be supporters) did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive, indecent or insulting way with either an express or implied reference to sexual orientation,” a statement published by the FA reads.
“West Ham United FC subsequently admitted the charge. The Regulatory Commission imposed the club’s sanctions following a hearing and its written reasons for them can be read below.”
In response to the ruling, West Ham condemned the chanting and stated it is “not consistent with the values and beliefs of West Ham United and the vast majority of the Club’s supporters”.
“West Ham United unequivocally condemns all forms of offensive and discriminatory conduct and remains committed to working with The FA and all relevant stakeholders to eradicate such behaviour to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all supporters,” the club went on to say.
“We believe that the overwhelming majority of West Ham United supporters share these values and will work with us to continue to protect the Club’s status as an equity leader in the Premier League, a position recognised and acknowledged through our award and continuous retention of the Advanced level Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard – the League’s highest accolade attainable in this area.
“Anyone attending matches who does not share these values, does not share the values of West Ham United and risks putting the Club in danger of facing further costly sanctions in future.”
The Premier League side added it had “already set in motion tangible actions to review and strengthen existing initiatives to continue to be strategic and proactive in the prevention and detection of any potential discriminatory or inappropriate words or behaviour in the future, at both home and away fixtures”.
West Ham said it “unequivocally condemns all forms of offensive and discriminatory” (Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images)
This is not the first time football clubs in England have been fined for the homophobic behaviour of their supporters.
In July 2023, Wolverhampton Wanderers were the first team to be hit with such fines after Wolves supporters were twice heard chanting “Chelsea rent boy” for a “prolonged” period during the team’s game against Chelsea in April of that year.
Wolves’ 1-0 win over Chelsea at Molineux was marred by the homophobic chanting, and the club admitted at the time it had failed to ensure its supporters did not “behave in a way which is improper, offensive, abusive, indecent, or insulting with either express or implied reference to sexual orientation”.
The West Midlands side was handed a £100,000 penalty and and had an 11-point action plan imposed by the FA.
Subsequently, several other sides have been charged by the FA for failing to clamp down on homophobic behaviour, including Millwall, Tottenham Hotsuprs and Luton Town.
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