Chelsea vs Tottenham: Club urge fans not to ‘tarnish’ match amid fears of antisemitic abuse
Chelsea have once again been forced to ask a ‘small minority of fans’ to behave ‘in the right way’
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea have urged their supporters not to “tarnish” tonight’s fixture against Tottenham amid fears of antisemitic abuse and use of the “Y-word”.
Maurizio Sarri’s side host their London rivals at Stamford Bridge in a crucial Premier League fixture for their top-four ambitions.
Chelsea’s fans have already been involved in a number of alleged racist incidents this season, involving the abuse of Raheem Sterling and repeated antisemitic chanting.
In a statement, Chelsea said: “The team enjoyed fantastic support at our home match against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg last month, with the brilliant atmosphere at the Bridge driving the players to success on a dramatic night, and we would like to once again thank our fans and remind supporters to keep support positive.
“A small minority of Chelsea supporters have in the past tarnished this derby by using antisemitic chanting, noises and gestures, including the Y-word, offering the justification of opposition fans using those terms as a form of identity.
“We have repeatedly made our stance on this clear – there is no place for such behaviour at Chelsea Football Club.
“Such actions or language have no place anywhere in football or society and everybody at Chelsea is proud to be part of a diverse club. Our players, staff, fans and visitors come from a wide range of backgrounds, including the Jewish community, and we want to ensure everyone feels safe, valued and included.
“We urge everybody to show their support in the right way and do their bit to help the Blues claim an important and memorable victory as we aim to pick up vital Premier League points.”
The statement comes after club chairman Bruce Buck criticised Tottenham’s fans for their continued use of the Y-word.
“There is a particular problem with the Y-word,” Buck said. ‘We think the use of the Y-word by Spurs supporters, or by anybody, is wrong.
“There’s a particular problem for the police in that if you’ve got the 3,000 Spurs fans chanting it how do you drag 3,000 people out of the stadium? I respect that.
“They can say they’re just not going to arrest and prosecute because it’s too difficult or whatever, but they shouldn’t be saying it’s OK to say that.”
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