Tottenham warns fans on homophobic Mikel Arteta chant

Tottenham Hotspurs have warned fans not to sing a homophobic chant that references Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, Manchester United’s Mason Mount, and Spurs player Dominic Solanke.

Ahead of today’s game against West Ham, Spurs season ticket holders received an email from the club saying that it would take a “zero-tolerance approach” to discrimination after recent games in which two homophobic chants were sung by viewers.

“We should firstly like to thank our fans for their cooperation ahead of the Brighton away fixture, at which there were no reports of homophobic chanting. We will not be complacent and are reminding supporters that the club takes a zero-tolerance approach to all discrimination,” the email read.

“Our stewards will once again be wearing body cams to identify individuals involved in unacceptable chanting, so the club can take the strongest possible action. This includes the Dominic Solanke chant with reference to Mikel Arteta and any use of the term ‘rent boy’.”

The chants first surfaced during Spurs’ game against Manchester United last month, leading to the club issuing a statement condemning the “abhorrent homophobic chanting” and calling it “unacceptable, hugely offensive, and no way to show support for the team”.

One chant’s lyrics read: “Dom Solanke is f***ing class. Mik Arteta takes it up the a***, 60 million down the drain, Dom Solanke scores again.”

A second chant referenced Manchester United player Mason Mount, calling him a “Chelsea rent boy” as he used to play for Chelsea, which has been directed at other Chelsea players in the past and was previously classified as a homophobic hate crime by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The FA have previously heavily fined teams whose fans were heard singing the “rent boy” chant and the Mirror reported that the governing body would be looking into the homophobic chanting by Spurs fans in coming weeks.

Following the game with Manchester United, the chants were not repeated at the Spurs’ next match in Brighton but the club reiterated their condemnation yesterday (October 18).

Proud Lilywhites, the LGBTQ+ supporters’ association for Spurs, welcomed the club’s statement and reminded fans of the impact of homophobic chanting in telling LGBTQ+ people that they “don’t belong”.

Kick It Out, a group aiming to eliminate discrimination within football, also backed the club’s warning and called for stronger action across the sport to combat homophobic and abusive language.