TWO LEICESTER CITY fans have been arrested on suspicion of “homophobic related offences” following their side’s 2-0 victory at home to Brighton.
Leicester confirmed that a number of fans had been ejected from the Kingpower stadium by stewards for starting homophobic chants during Saturday’s game, with Leicestershire police saying they’re reviewing evidence in order to ascertain how many others were involved.
Eyewitnesses explained that the abuse began in the dying stages of the game, with Leicester fan Chris Whiting telling the BBC: “In the last 20 or so minutes the chanting started towards the Brighton fans and then after that it got a bit more nasty with a few isolated shouts, which were a bit more malicious.”
“It made me very shaken, I felt a bit unsafe and very unwelcome in a place I’ve been going to since I was eight years old.”
One anonymous Brighton fan told the Leicester Mercury that the chanting was “like something out of the 1970s”.
“We’ve encountered abuse over the years, but it’s all but gone from the game,” the fan said.
“However, a group of around 20 to 30 Leicester City fans close to Brighton supporters suddenly started chanting vicious homophobic abuse and making homophobic gestures.
“It was like something out of the 1970s, and this sort of bigoted, small minded behaviour needs to be stopped and those involved ejected from the ground.”
A Leicester statement admoinished the culprits but praised the club’s stewards for turfing them out.
“While disappointed that such abuse took place during Saturday’s match, we are satisfied that our stewards reacted swiftly and appropriately, which led to the responsible minority being ejected from the stadium and reported to the police,” it read.
Also detailed in the statement was the fact that the club’s stewards undertook specialist training during the summer in order to effectively identify offensive behaviour. The training including contributions from Leicester’s LGBT Centre on recognising homophobic abuse.
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