MANCHESTER UNITED will be subject to an FA investigation after homophobic chanting in their win over Everton.
A minority of fans aimed a homophobic chant at Toffees manager Frank Lampard during Friday’s FA Cup third-round clash at Old Trafford.
In the second half, some Red Devils supporters chanted “Chelsea r**t **y” at the former Blues midfielder.
And the FA will launch an investigation into the incident – which could potentially lead to a sanction.
In a statement to The Athletic, they said: “We continue to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as the UK Football Policing Unit, in relation to the use of this term.
“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.
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“We stand firmly against all forms of discrimination and we 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.”
United were quick to condemn the chant, which was also sung by a minority of Nottingham Forest supporters last week
A club statement read: “Homophobia, like all forms of discrimination, has no place in football.
“Manchester United is proud of our diverse fan base and the work we have done to reduce instances like we sadly heard today.
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“We will continue to campaign for inclusivity and to tackle discriminatory abuse whether inside stadiums or online.
“This includes working with fan groups to educate fans on the offence which discriminatory language causes.”
United booked passage to the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to a 3-1 win over the Merseysiders.
Strikes from Antony and Marcus Rashford either side of an own goal from Conor Coady sealed victory for Erik ten Hag’s troops.
United will be back in action on Tuesday night, welcoming Charlton Athletic to Old Trafford for their Carabao Cup fourth-round tie.
Ten Hag said: “We don’t have time in this moment to train, we do this weekend.
“But it’s all about freshness, we take care for that. Many games are following up and they (our international players) had a heavy programme with many in the World Cup.
“So it’s about freshness.
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“Also we have to give players time to relax, to recover, so that they can go again and that is also for Tuesday.
“Recover, and go again.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
