Only days after the Co-Chair of Chelsea Pride shared her worries in advance of the Premier League kick off in regard to how rampant homophobia is in football, Liverpool FC have had to call on their supporters to stop using homophobic chants at matches.

During a Premier League match between Liverpool and Norwich City over the weekend, Liverpool fans were caught chanting slurs at Chelsea loanee Billy Gilmour, calling him a “rent boy”.

The chant is offensive and inappropriate – a message we have repeatedly communicated alongside Kop Outs.

We urge supporters to remember the inclusive values of the club and to refrain from using it in the future. https://t.co/67Q5SKoa88

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 14, 2021

Liverpool FC shared, “The chant is offensive and inappropriate – a message we have repeatedly communicated alongside Kop Outs (Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ fans group).

“We urge supporters to remember the inclusive values of the club and to refrain from using it in future.”

Chelsea Pride released a statement on social media sharing that the group “condemns the actions from a section of Liverpool FC fans who subjected our on-loan Billy Gilmour to homophobic chants at Carrow Road yesterday.

“We stand in solidarity with Kick It Out, Liverpool FC, Kop Outs and Proud Canaries in condemning this and all homophobic behaviour. We will continue to work with clubs and authorities across the game to ensure homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are kicked out of the game.

“There is no place for hate in football.”

Chelsea Pride Co-Chair Tracy Brown had days previously shared during an interview with the Mirror newspaper, “I have personally been verbally attacked with homophobic abuse at football matches. I reported it, because the more we report these incidents, the more it highlights growing issues within the game.”

Considering the slur which was chanted over the weekend, it throws into stark relief the other comments she made during the interview – “The word ‘banter’ is thrown around all too much in football. I now hate this word. Homophobic chants like ‘Chelsea Rent Boys’, which are often passed as ‘banter’ have an extremely negative impact on the LGBTQ+ community.

“I myself feel extremely uncomfortable hearing this. I also hear from other Chelsea LGBTQ+ fans who tell me of the negative impact this has on them and how they feel when they come to football.”