Hull City and Chelsea Face Homophobic Chanting During FA Cup Match

omidbasir- Spectators at Hull City’s MKM Stadium were issued a warning to halt discriminatory chanting during the FA Cup fourth-round match against Chelsea on Friday.

In response to the unacceptable behavior, a fan group denounced homophobic chanting as a “stain on our game,” following multiple arrests made throughout the event. The crowd was alerted via the public address system late in the first half that discriminatory chants were being monitored and that CCTV was actively in use.

An update in the second half confirmed that law enforcement action had been taken, although the club refrained from disclosing the exact number of arrests. BBC Sport has reached out to Humberside Police for further comments.

An on-screen message within the stadium stated, “There has been discriminatory chanting from fans inside the stadium. This is unacceptable and must cease immediately.” This incident occurred shortly after Hull City reiterated in a statement that any form of homophobic, racist, or discriminatory chanting would not be tolerated, with offenders facing significant repercussions, including ejection from the venue and potential legal action.

Chelsea Pride, the official LGBTQ+ supporter group for Chelsea, expressed their outrage, stating, “Tonight, homophobic chanting was once again directed at our supporters. This is utterly unacceptable.”

They acknowledged Hull City’s proactive measures, including stadium announcements and monitoring via CCTV, but emphasized that the persistence of such chants in 2026 is a significant blemish on the sport.

Chelsea triumphed over Hull City with a 4-0 victory, progressing to the fifth round of the FA Cup. Chelsea’s head coach, Liam Rosenior, mentioned his unawareness of the chanting during the match, focusing solely on gameplay, but affirmed that any form of discriminatory language is intolerable.

“The fourth official mentioned something to me, but I was so focused on the game. I honestly don’t know what’s happening,” Rosenior added.

Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic condemned the behavior, stating, “This is not a place for this, for sure, in the stadium and also in public. This is not good. The stadium is not a place for that, and this is the reason why they have been arrested.”

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