The FA have launched their own investigation into homophobic chanting by Tottenham fans, Mirror Football can exclusively reveal.
Spurs travelled to Manchester United on Sunday and claimed a famous 3-0 win at Old Trafford. Goals from Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke secured all three points, with United skipper Bruno Fernandes also being sent off.
But the game was marred by several incidents of homophobic chanting from the visiting fans. One of the chants was aimed at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, with the lyrics believed to read: "Dom Solanke is f****** class, Mik Arteta takes it up the a***, 60 million down the drain, Dom Solanke scores again."
Another song was allegedly aimed at Mason Mount, with the ' Chelsea rent boy' chant heard as he replaced Kobbie Mainoo. Back in 2022, Mirror Football exclusively revealed that chant had been classified as a homophobic hate crime by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The FA have also heavily fined teams whose fans are heard singing the rent boy chant. Given the allegations about Sunday's game, Mirror Football can reveal that the governing body are aware and are looking into the matter.
Spurs themselves are also investigating the chants and condemned their own fans in a statement on Sunday night. The Premier League side branded their supporters' actions 'abhorrent and unacceptable'.
A club statement read: "The Club is aware of abhorrent homophobic chanting from sections of our away support at Old Trafford today. This is simply unacceptable, hugely offensive and no way to show support for the team.
"The Club will be working closely with the Police and stewards to identify anyone instigating or joining in with the chanting - we shall take the strongest possible action in accordance with our Sanctions and Banning Policy. Supporters in attendance today can report anything they’ve seen or heard in confidence to supporterservices@tottenhamhotspur.com.
"We shall be continuing our work with our LGBTQ+ supporters’ association, Proud Lilywhites, to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans on matchdays.
"We are justly proud of our superb and loyal support, home and away. However, we all have a responsibility to act as ambassadors of Tottenham Hotspur and discrimination of any kind has no place at our Club."
The Proud Lilywhites welcomed news of the club's investigation and their strongly-worded statement. The group also moved to remind their fellow fans of the impact of homophobic chanting.
A statement from the group read: "Loved what happened on the pitch at Old Trafford; didn’t love the homophobic chanting off the pitch. Dom deserves better and as for the other one...
"We’re all Spurs fans just like you. When you sing these songs you’re telling us we don’t belong; and we do—as much as you do."