The Football Association will look into alleged homophobic shouting by Manchester City supporters during the FA Cup victory against Chelsea.
In their third-round match on Sunday at Etihad Stadium, City defeated Chelsea 4-0.
It comes after the Football Association declared two days prior that it will deal with Manchester United regarding similar shouting during their 3-1 victory over Everton on Friday.
The club “deeply condemns the behavior of a minority of fans,” according to Manchester City.
City added:
“We are proud to celebrate inclusivity in football and ask all fans to join us in creating a positive environment and atmosphere, where everyone is welcomed, accepted and has a fantastic matchday experience.”
The Football Association said:
“We continue to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as the UK Football Policing Unit.
“Part of our work in this area has been to provide the relevant authorities with impact statements from LGBTQ+ supporters, detailing how chants of this nature affects their experience and feeling of inclusion at football matches, so that a clearer stance and understanding on the chant can be established.
“We stand firmly against all forms of discrimination and are striving to ensure our game is a safe environment for all, which truly embraces diversity and challenges hateful conduct both on and off the pitch.”
Late in the game, there appeared to be some disturbances involving Chelsea fans as well. The police’s presence at the end, where the opposing fans were seated, was obviously increased.
The Crown Prosecution Service classified the chant that was allegedly heard on Sunday as a homophobic slur and said that fans who sang it during games were engaging in hate speech in January 2022.
Those who are discovered to have used the terms risk prosecution.
This month, Nottingham Forest announced that they would look into the alleged homophobic shouting that was audible at the City Ground during the 1-1 league tie with Chelsea.
