There has been a widespread effort from many within the club to ask all Liverpool fans to stop singing a certain chant whenever we play Chelsea and, on the whole, this has certainly had a positive impact.
However, it appears clear that not everyone has received the message as reported by BBC Sport: ‘Merseyside Police arrested three men for alleged homophobic chanting during Liverpool’s draw with Chelsea. One was arrested inside Anfield and two outside the ground for three separate incidents’.
The two incidents before and during the game show that this issue hasn’t been totally eradicated as of yet but tough action like this from the police and the club, should mean that it stops happening in the future.
There will be many of our fans that will point to the abhorrent abuse that we received from the away fans that day regarding events at Hillsborough in 1989, as those inside Anfield experience when most travelling supporters come to visit.
This should never be a game of tit for tat as there is no excuse for homophobic chanting from anyone, at any time.
Nevertheless, we as Liverpool fans should be pushing for the same punishment to be given to those who sing about our fans who died so many years ago – with many matchgoers today having first-hand experience of that tragic day in Sheffield.
Listening to what the club, and in particular Kop Outs, are campaigning for in regard to LGBT+ fans in our fanbase, is something that we as supporters should all be listening to.
At the same time though, we should also be asking when the same punishments will be handed out to those who sing about a footballing tragedy – every single week.
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