Man Utd fan gets 3-year ban after online homophobic post about Chelsea

A Manchester United fan has been told he is being suspended from the club’s home games for three years after using homophobic language online.

The man has been handed what is likely to be the toughest punishment yet imposed by a professional soccer team in England on one of its own supporters for use of the “rent boy” slur on social media.

Two days before United hosted Chelsea in the Premier League in September, the 20-time champions issued an unequivocal statement about discriminatory chanting.

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More than a third of both Chelsea and Brighton’s domestic matches last season were subject to reports of homophobic incidents.

Fans were warned that the “rent boy” chant is considered discriminatory by the Football Assn. and the UK police.

The statement continued: “As such, supporters who engage in this behavior risk serious consequences, including ejection from the stadium, banning orders, and potential criminal charges.

“Within the club’s Official Club Sanctioning Document, this behavior is identified as a Level 4(c) Offense and carries a three-year suspension.”

Six weeks later, the club’s clampdown has been shown to be in full effect after a supporter shared an image on X of a letter sent to him by the club.

According to the Daily Mail, which saw the image before the user appeared to delete his account, the letter said: “It has recently come to our attention that you may have breached our official terms and conditions.

“Specifically, we understand that you have used homophobic written communication or online (sic) towards Chelsea and their supporters.

“This offense contravenes ground regulations… For a first offense, this carries a three-year suspension (home and away).”

Level 4(c) offenses are listed by United as being “racist, homophobic or discriminatory language/behavior.”

The Daily Mail reported that on his X account, the fan had “also joked that officials had tried to throw him out at a recent game after he referred to United full-back Diogo Dalot as ‘a gay ****’.”

Although the fan’s account is no longer visible on the platform, replies from other users to his post can still be seen.

United’s statement from September also included an embed of a video produced by the anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out featuring out gay athletes Zander Murray and Jake Williamson, explaining the history and impact of the “rent boy” chant.

Rainbow Devils, which is United’s official supporters group for LGBTQ people and allies, previously issued its own statement about the chant, warning their fellow fans about the potential consequences of using the discriminatory term.

The group added: “We want to use education to hopefully avoid any of our fans being punished and to do our best to eradicate this outdated chant.”

The information United provides to fans also outlines an appeals process, which involves a panel including independent representatives who will help to determine if the punishment is appropriate.

Meanwhile, Kick It Out and some football clubs have been operating “restorative justice” style schemes and re-education courses, which can help to reduce the severity of punishments if the perpetrators engage meaningfully.

@kickitoutofficial "I accept what I did was awful… I'm willing to make amends.”   Alan Bush, our Fan Education manager, spoke to the BBC this week about how our restorative justice education programme helps supporters learn from times where they have discriminated against someone.   #homophobia #lgbt #lgbthistorymonth #chant #kickitout #crime #discrimination ♬ original sound – Kick It Out

A spokesperson for the Premier League club told the Mail: “Manchester United has zero tolerance of discriminatory language or behavior of any kind.”

In previous years, November has seen the annual activation period for the Rainbow Laces campaign for LGBTQ inclusion.

However, the Premier League will no longer show support for Rainbow Laces, and is instead due to launch a new initiative in February which is the UK’s LGBTQ History Month as well as the Month of Action for Football v Homophobia.

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