FA to take action against clubs if fans use homophobic ‘Chelsea rent boy’ chant
The ‘Chelsea rent boy’ chant has been routinely condemned by the FA and various Pride groups. (Getty)
Football clubs will face fines if fans use the homophobic ‘Chelsea rent boy’ chant at games, the Football Association (FA) has announced.
The FA announced it would begin imposing sanctions against clubs whose fans sang the chant after former football player Paul Boardman admitted to using it during last season’s FA Cup final.
The FA states all clubs across an array of football leagues – including the Premier League and the Women’s Super League – were informed that officials can “pursue formal disciplinary action” against clubs whose fans use the chant.
“The FA has now informed all clubs that it considers the ‘rent boy’ chant to be a breach of the FA rules,” a statement continued.
Various clubs have already come under controversy after fans sang the offensive chant – which has been classed as homophobic hate speech – during recent matches.
Most notable was the 1 January friendly between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, in which LGBTQ+ fans expressed their disappointment at the usage of the chant.
It was then used again by Manchester United supporters on 6 January, who directed it towards former Chelsea player Frank Lampard.
The FA has routinely condemned the song, telling PinkNews on 9 January that it was “determined to drive it out of the game.”
“We continue to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), as well as the UK Football Policing Unit, in relation to the use of this term.”
The CPS announced it was investigating reported usage of the chant after the incident during the Nottingham Forest game on New Year’s Day.
It classified the chant as a homophobic hate crime in January 2022 and condemned the excuse that it is “harmless banter.”
CPS director of public prosecutions Max Hill said that the chant is a “disease” and has “no place within society, let alone sport.”
The “Chelsea rent boy” chant allegedly derives from an urban myth that a member of a right-wing Chelsea fan group was caught in bed with a male sex worker during a police raid, although this is disputed between fans.
