London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 06, 2025

Homophobic chanting mars Liverpool's win against Norwich City in Premier League

Homophobic chanting mars Liverpool's win against Norwich City in Premier League

Hundreds of thousands of fans attended English Premier League matches this weekend for the first time in nearly 18 months, though one game was marred by homophobic chanting and another by "isolated incidents of disorder" ahead of kick off.

Norwich City midfielder Billy Gilmour, who was playing for the newly promoted club on loan from Chelsea, was allegedly targeted by homophobic chanting by some Liverpool fans during the visiting team's 3-0 win at Carrow Road on Saturday.

"Great result today marred by homophobic chanting by some of our fans targeting Chelsea loanee Billy Gilmour," tweeted Kop Outs, Liverpool's LGBT+ Fans Group.

"If you can't support without resorting to bigoted nonsense, you don't understand YNWA," concluded the tweet, a reference to the club's "You'll Never Walk Alone" anthem.

Liverpool FC's Twitter account said the chant was "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."

Norwich City's Billy Gilmour is playing for the club on loan from Chelsea.


'Mindless actions'


According to George Starkey-Midha, who worked for anti-discrimination organization Kick It Out, the homophobic slur originates from the 1980s "and is intended as an insult to suggest all Chelsea fans are gay."

Chelsea's official LGBTQ+ & Friends Supporters Group, tweeted that it would "continue to work with clubs and authorities across the game to ensure homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are kicked out of the game."

Meanwhile over 70,000 fans watched Manchester United beat Leeds United 5-1 on Saturday, though police made six arrests during the course of the day in the northern English city.

Five arrests were in relation to public order offenses and one was on suspicion of drug offense, according to Greater Manchester Police.

"These suspects remain in custody in cells in Greater Manchester for questioning this evening," Chief Superintendent Stuart Ellison said on Saturday.

"Work has begun immediately, in conjunction with football investigating officers from both Manchester United and Leeds United, to identify offenders of other incidents of disorder so that we are able to bring them to book for their mindless actions," added Ellison.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah scores his side's third goal of the game in the 3-0 win against Norwich.


'Respecting the people around you'


Last week, Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said that "tackling discrimination is a priority" for the organization and its 20 clubs.

"This year, we've got three things to talk about at the start of the season. We've introduced a league-wide ban, so if you are caught then you'll be banned from not just your own club but all other Premier League clubs as well," said Masters in an interview with Premier League Productions.

"Secondly, with fans coming back we're working with stewards, to help them deal with some of these issues should they arise. Hopefully they won't.

"And finally, we're working with fan groups, via our Fans' Fund, to help fund some fan education so people can fully understand the impact of discriminatory abuse on people."

On Friday, Masters also spoke of his excitement at the prospect of stadiums full of fans after English football's top-flight clubs grappled with the impact of the pandemic over the last year and a half.

"March 2020 was the last time we had a full fixture round with full stadiums, so it's a huge relief to everybody that we can open the turnstiles again," said Masters in a statement.

"Over 300,000 fans are coming through the turnstiles this weekend into raucous atmospheres, but also safe environments.

"We're asking our supporters to follow a new supporters' code of conduct, which is what we've all been following over the past 18 months, with common sense about wearing face masks indoors, following signage, being hygienic and respecting the people around you."

More than three quarters of adults in the UK have now received two doses of a Covid-19 jab, said the Department of Health and Social Care on Tuesday.

Public Health England has said the vaccines are highly effective at preventing hospitalization and deaths, with an estimated 60,000 deaths avoided.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×