A Tottenham Hotspur fan has been arrested for allegedly making homophobic chants during the team’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. The incident has drawn widespread condemnation, with the club asserting that there is no room for discrimination among its supporters. Tottenham’s official Twitter account confirmed that an arrest had been made in connection with the chants. The episode occurred during Football v Homophobia Month of Action, an initiative that aims to end discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in football.
The chants were heard before the game began and again after an altercation between Chelsea player Hakim Ziyech and Tottenham’s Emerson Royal resulted in a VAR check that resulted in a yellow card instead of a red one. According to a Twitter post by a fan attending the match, Zack Leader, who reported the incident, expressed his concerns regarding the homophobic chants.
This isn’t the first time that homophobic chants have been reported at Chelsea games. The “Chelsea rent boy” chant has been used by opposition fans against Chelsea players and supporters. Last season, Liverpool, Leeds, and Tottenham all issued statements condemning the use of the phrase by some of their supporters. In January 2022, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that it would treat the “vile and disgusting” chant as a hate crime.
One of the reasons the phrase is used against Chelsea players and fans is because of the London borough of Chelsea’s past status as an LGBTQ+ hub. During the 1960s and 1970s, Chelsea was a hotspot for LGBTQ+ people in West London, with several pubs and bars where queer people could be themselves. However, the term “rent boy” is offensive and has homophobic connotations, even if those who use it are unaware of its meaning.
