Sick chants condemned by clubs

03 October 2011 17:36
Tottenham and Arsenal are united in their determination to identify fans from both clubs who were guilty of offensive chanting on Sunday.[LNB] Spurs' 2-1 victory in the north London derby at White Hart Lane over their bitter local rivals was overshadowed by abusive jeers from both sets of supporters.[LNB]Sections of the home crowd taunted Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, while some away supporters were widely condemned for mocking the deadly gun attack on the Togo team bus in January 2010 which Emmanuel Adebayor survived.[LNB]Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp launched a stinging attack on the Arsenal fans on Sunday night, describing the chants at former Gunners striker Adebayor as "disgusting".[LNB]Tottenham confirmed on Monday that several fans from both the home and away sections of the crowd were ejected from White Hart Lane during the game. In line with the club's zero-tolerance policy on abusive chanting, they have also promised to ban any guilty party for life.[LNB]Arsenal, meanwhile, intend to work closely with their counterparts at White Hart Lane to root out the offenders.[LNB]A joint statement read: "Both clubs were extremely disappointed to hear the chants from supporters at yesterday's game.[LNB]"Neither club tolerates foul language, racist chanting, homophobic chanting or any anti-social behaviour from its supporters.[LNB]"We shall be working closely with each other to identify the individuals involved."[LNB]Under a subheading of 'Spurs against discrimination' on their official website, Tottenham called for help from their fans to find the perpetrators.[LNB]"We should like to remind all of our supporters that we do not tolerate discrimination of any sort at the club, on the pitch or in the stands," the statement read.[LNB]"If you experience any form of discrimination, help us to eliminate it from football.[LNB]"Please report this to the club by texting the matchday control room on 07766 553225 or e-mail us at safety@tottenhamhotspur.com - we will treat your correspondence in strictest confidence.[LNB]"You do not have to put up with mindless supporters who are intent on ruining your day, so use the system, report the individuals and let us take it from there.[LNB]"The texting service at White Hart Lane has been used to good effect in enabling us to ban people for committing offences on matchdays.[LNB]"We have a fantastic atmosphere at the Lane and by working together we can prevent the small minority ruining it for everyone."[LNB]Arsenal were also strong in their condemation of the incidents.[LNB]When asked about the situation in his post-match press conference on Sunday, Wenger had said: "We respect everybody and we want to be respected as well."[LNB]On Monday, the Gunners also stressed the need for help from within.[LNB]Under the banner 'Arsenal for Everyone', the statement on their official website continued: "We do not tolerate discrimination of any sort at the club, on the pitch or in the stands.[LNB]"If you experience any form of discrimination at Emirates Stadium, please report this by texting 67777 or contact a matchday steward."[LNB]Spurs have taken steps to stamp out abusive chanting in recent times.[LNB]The club have extensive CCTV coverage of all stands and have displayed posters and stickers at White Hart Lane urging fans to report any offensive chanting.

Source: Team_Talk