Manchester United have condemned the homophobic chanting that marred their win over Everton in the third round of the FA Cup on Friday.
During the second half of the clash, which United won 3-1, the home crowd at Old Trafford were heard directing the " Chelsea rent boy" chant towards Everton boss Frank Lampard. The chant has long been seen as being homophobic by LGBT+ football fans.
Mirror Football has previously revealed that the the chant is now classed as a hate crime by the Crown Prosecution Service. Despite that, it continues to be sung by supporters, with the latest incident coming on Friday night.
A large portion of the Old Trafford crowd could be heard directing the 'rent boy' chant at Lampard during the game. In response, United have condemned those responsible and insisted they have been saddened by the incident.
“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," a club statement read.
“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's condemnation comes after Rainbow Devils, the club's LGBT+ supporters group, slammed their fellow fans for singing the homophobic chant.
"We strongly condemn the taunting of Frank Lampard with the illegal and homophobic chant from a section of our fans and call for the club to take action," a statement from the group read. "We call on Manchester United to do everything in their power to identify the culprits and deal with them in the strongest possible manner."
The Football Association has also launched an investigation into the incident, which comes less than a week after the chant was also heard during Chelsea's draw at Nottingham Forest, something the FA is also looking into.
“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," a statement from the governing body read.
“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 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.”
Last week, the CPS confirmed it was consulting police about the incident at the City Ground, insisting anyone found singing the chant would be prosecuted.
A statement read: "A disappointing start to the year. We remind everyone in football that homophobic chants can be, and have been, prosecuted as a hate crime. We’re speaking to our police contacts about this."
