HULL — Hull City have been fined £30,000 over discriminatory chanting during their 4-0 FA Cup defeat by Chelsea in February at the MKM Stadium, with the club now urging supporters not to repeat the chant when the sides meet in the Premier League on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
Three supporters have been banned for "a minimum of three years" following the February tie, in which three people were arrested for allegedly engaging in homophobic chanting. Spectators were repeatedly warned to stop the chants over the PA system and messages were displayed on screens inside the stadium, while one fan group condemned the chanting as a "stain on our game".
The Football Association later charged the club with failing "to ensure its spectators and/or supporters (and anyone purporting to be supporters) do not use words or behave in an improper, offensive, abusive, indecent or insulting way with a reference - whether express or implied - to sexual orientation" and on Friday announced the club had accepted the charge and received a £30,000 fine. "Hull City condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the offensive and inappropriate language used by the supporters responsible," the club said, adding the "chant in question is recognised as a homophobic slur and its use may constitute a hate crime".
The club warned those using the chant faced arrest and criminal charges. "Ahead of Saturday's trip to Stamford Bridge, the club reminds all supporters that discrimination of any kind is wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated," it added.