'Very disappointed' - Chelsea Pride condemn Preston North End faithful for hate crime chant

Chelsea Pride have condemned the minority of Preston North End supporters for homophobic chanting during Saturday's FA Cup tie.

The Lilywhites were beaten 4-0 at Stamford Bridge, where more than six thousand away supporters were in attendance. North End packed out the East Stand in the capital and made themselves heard from start to finish - but one chant was far from a positive.

On Saturday, Chelsea's official #LGBTQ+ and Friends Supporters Group posted: 'We at Chelsea Pride are very disappointed to hear “that chant” from the Preston fans in the 1st half... No fans should have to listen to homophobic chanting. It’s not acceptable. A reminder that chant = a hate crime & you can be prosecuted.'

'That chant' is referring to "Chelsea rent boys, Chelsea rent boys". In January 2023, the Blues issued a club statement welcoming the FA’s decision to 'class the homophobic chant as a breach of FA rules, which could lead to disciplinary action being taken'. The Crowd Prosecution Service has classed the chant as a hate crime since January 2022.

Chelsea's statement from last year continued: 'The ‘Rent Boy’ chant is intolerable and has no place in football or anywhere else. That opposition clubs can now face disciplinary action if their supporters engage in this discriminatory and offensive behaviour is a step in the right direction. Everyone who chooses to participate in this chant must know their actions have consequences.'

The London borough's history as an LGBTQ+ hotspot is where the demeaning chant originates from. In the 1960s and '70s, Chelsea was a popular area for LGBTQ+ people - given the several, welcoming pubs and bars it had to offer. The term 'rent boy' relates to men who would meet other men for sex.

In September 2023, The Athletic reported: 'The origins of the specific chant in relation to Chelsea are difficult to pin down, but it is said to have emerged in the 1980s after tabloid newspaper reports alleged a member of the Chelsea Headhunters, an infamous right-wing hooligan group, had been found in bed with a male sex worker during a police raid.'

Chelsea's club historian, Rick Glanvill, told Goal in February 2022: "It has the feel of an urban myth in its construction and the way it spread around the country, but there may be a much simpler explanation: fabrication,”