Merseyside football fans have welcomed the news that clubs can now be charged by the Football Association if their fans sing a homophobic chant about Chelsea.
The homophobic chant relating to "rent boys" has previously been heard at both Liverpool FC and Everton FC games. The most recent example is the FA Cup contest between the Toffees and Manchester United on Friday, January 6 - where it was directed at boss Frank Lampard, a former Chelsea player and manager.
While the FA has always condemned the use of the term, it has never felt able to charge clubs over its use in the past, as reported by The Mirror.
READ MORE: Liverpool fan denied entry to FA Cup final after shouting homophobic abuse
Paul Amann, founder of Liverpool FC’s LGBT+ supporters’ group, Kop Outs, said this was an important step “to achieve culture change".
He told the ECHO: “Whilst it is welcome that finally, the FA are catching up with the CPS and legal system in recognising the seriousness of the situation, it is beyond ridiculous that they have taken decades to recognise what LGBT+ fans and fan groups have been calling out in that time.
“It is disappointing that only Liverpool, with the leadership of Jürgen Klopp, has done more than issue a statement. To get change, the decent majority of fans need to be active allies, to make the minority of bigots totally unwelcome.”
It is understood the recent case of Liverpool fan Paul Boardman, from Sefton, is being seen as a “game changer” and has opened the door for the governing body to sanction clubs where fans are proven to have used the term.
The 34-year-old admitted using the chant on May 14 last year on his way to last season’s FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley stadium and, as a result, his ticket was seized by police and he was denied entry to the showpiece event. Boardman was fined £400, which was increased by £100 to reflect the hate crime and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £40.
A letter was sent out by the FA which, according to The Mirror, is being intended as a “line in the sand” to clubs so that any chants from this point onwards could result in disciplinary action.
An FA statement said: “The FA has formally written to all clubs across the Premier League, EFL, National League, Women’s Super League, Women’s Championship and Steps 2-4, to remind them that it can pursue formal disciplinary action against any club whose supporters engage in discriminatory behaviour, now including the use of the term ‘rent boy’.
“This important step follows the recent successful prosecution of an individual by the Crown Prosecution Service for homophobic abuse, specifically relating to the term ‘rent boy’. The FA has now informed all clubs that it considers the ‘rent boy’ chant to be a breach of the FA rules. These rules apply to the conduct of supporters at both home and away fixtures, and clubs at all levels of English football have a responsibility to ensure their spectators behave appropriately when attending matches.”
There were 106 reported incidents of hate crime involving sexual orientation at matches in England and Wales during the 2021-22 season, according to Home Office figures released last year.
A spokesperson for Mersey Marauders FC, Merseyside's leading LGBT+ inclusive football team, echoed a similar sentiment to that of Kop Out’s Paul Amann.
They told the ECHO: “It indicates that the FA are taking this seriously as an issue and will help LGBT+ fans feel more comfortable in football grounds. It needs to go hand in hand with education campaigns, nationally and from football clubs themselves.
"With the 'rent boy' chant in particular, many fans are not aware of the homophobic connotations and a campaign to make fans aware of this would help, alongside stricter disciplinary measures.”
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