English Premier League football club Leicester City has said stewards acted “swiftly and appropriately” as homophobic chanting led to ejections and two arrests at the King Power Stadium game with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
It was Brighton’s first away game since promotion to the Premier League, with the club representing an area known to have one of the largest LGBT communities in England. Its fans have regularly faced apparently homophobic abuse during games in recent years.
Leicestershire Police confirmed that two Leicester fans were arrested for alleged homophobic chants at the 32,000-capacity stadium. According to the Guardian newspaper, club officials said they were “disappointed” by the actions of a “minority”, but praised their staff’s response.
A club spokesman said: “We are committed to creating a passionate, inclusive, welcoming environment at King Power Stadium, in which everyone is free to enjoy the matchday experience.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to educate our staff, senior King Power Stadium stewards undertook specialist training during the summer in effectively identifying offensive behaviour, including contributions from Leicester’s LGBT Centre on recognising homophobic abuse.
“While disappointed that such abuse took place during Saturday’s match, we are satisfied that our stewards reacted swiftly and appropriately, which led to the responsible minority being ejected from the stadium and reported to the police.”
Kick It Out’s professional players engagement manager, Paul Mortimer, told BBC Radio Leicester: “How much of a problem it is we’ll see as the season goes on but it’s definitely there and it’s something that football as a whole has to work together to quell.”
IMAGE: Dom Fellowes
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