The English Football Association (FA) is launching an investigation into two separate incidents of alleged homophobic chanting by fans of Manchester City and Manchester United.

The first case is said to have taken place during United’s FA Cup win over Everton on Friday, January 6. Shouts of “Chelsea rent boy” were aimed at the opposing side’s manager, Frank Lampard, who enjoyed a long and successful career at the aforementioned London-based team.

On January 7, the Red Devils issued a statement condemning the behaviour, reading: “Homophobia, like all forms of discrimination, has no place in football.”

Furthermore, the club committed to continuing “to campaign for inclusivity and tackle discriminatory abuse, whether inside stadiums or online.”

The club’s official LGBTQ+ supporters’ group Rainbow Devils also denounced the chanting at Old Trafford, tweeting: “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.

“We call on Manchester United to do everything in their power to identify the culprits and deal with them in the strongest possible manner.”

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. @ManUtd

— Rainbow Devils (@RainbowDevils) January 6, 2023

Similarly, fans of Manchester City are also under investigation by the FA for alleged homophobic chanting during the club’s FA Cup third-round clash against Chelsea FC.

“Manchester City strongly condemns the behaviour of a minority of fans who engaged in discriminatory chanting at today’s match,” the club stated.

“We are proud to celebrate inclusivity in football and ask all fans to join us in creating a positive environment and atmosphere, where everyone is welcomed, accepted and has a fantastic matchday experience.”

Chelsea Pride published a response on social media, reading: “Since the star of 2023 we have had to deal with a Chelsea related Homophobic chant at every game.”

The group called on the FA to “move to the next step” and take proper action.

Following the same Homophobic chant sung at the Chelsea fans this evening in the #FACup, the @FA say they will investigate ‘Again’. Well enough is enough. We will keep #CallingItOut, it’s time for serious action and to #RetireTheChant. #NoToHate | #NoToDiscrimination. pic.twitter.com/vqibvuMDAl

— Chelsea Pride 🏳️‍🌈⚽️🏳️‍⚧️ (@ChelseaPride_) January 8, 2023

Speaking about the alleged incidents, the FA said “We strongly condemn the use of the term ‘rent boy’, and we are determined to drive it out of our game”. The organisation added that it is working with the Crown Prosecution Service and the UK Football Policing Unit in order to do so.

“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,” the statement concluded.