Three people were arrested in connection with anti-gay and discriminatory chants made during the Premier League soccer match between Wolves and Chelsea last week.
Both teams and the Premier League condemned the chants directed at Chelsea supporters during the game which the hosting Wolves won 1-0. The stadium announcer reportedly told the home crowds, who sang the homophobic chant during the match, that those continuing with the rhetoric would be kicked out and potentially charged.
Wolves issued a statement saying, “Homophobia, like all other forms of discrimination, has no place in football or society, and anyone engaging in discriminatory behavior is committing a criminal offense.”
Away team Chelsea FC also publicly condemned the incident, saying it finds all forms of discriminatory behavior totally unacceptable.
West Midlands Police said three men aged 32, 24, and 21, were arrested on suspicion of a public order offense which caused harassment, alarm, or distress and also of using threatening words or behavior to stir up sexual orientation hatred.
All three men have been released on bail while the police investigation continues.
While bigoted soccer chants have been an issue within the sport for decades, the controversy surrounding the now-banned ‘Chelsea rent boy‘ chant sparked up again in January, following a New Year’s Day friendly between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
