Chelsea Football Club has vowed to take action against supporters found to have used anti-Semitic language during Monday's Premier League match at Watford.
Chelsea issued a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday evening following reports of such following the game, widely picked up by UK news outlets. The club has launched an investigation in co-operation with Watford and the police.
"Antisemitism has no place in our club, football or wider society," a Chelsea spokesman said. "Anyone found guilty of antisemitic language or behaviour will face action from the club, including bans, and will be asked to attend equality education courses.
"We welcome the fact that Chelsea fans have reported this behaviour, which shames our club.We ask all fans who share our vision for a game open to all, to report any kind of discrimination they witness or experience. We will be working closely with the police and Watford to identify those responsible and will take the appropriate action."
Chelsea last week launched a 'Say No to Antisemitism' campaign as part of their own inclusion work through the Building Bridges initiative.
Club owner Roman Abramovich was joined by high-profile individuals from across the Jewish community and by antisemitism campaigners at a gathering ahead of the January 31 match against Bournemouth, which saw the lighting of a candle by Holocaust survivor Harry Spiro.
The World Jewish Congress is partnering in the campaign, and praised Abramovich for the initiative.
WJC President Ronald Lauder: "Anti-Semitism in sports is hardly a new phenomenon, but it has begun to draw major attention of late, due to repeated ugly incidents and awareness that xenophobia and hatred are on the rise, across the fields. In the last few months alone, we have witnessed fans shamelessly desecrating the memory of Holocaust victims or shouting blatantly anti-Jewish slurs, simply to offend their rivals. Far too often, intolerance darkens what should be a celebration of competitive spirit, and spirals into hateful violence, both in and out of the stands. The World Jewish Congress has made a pointed effort in recent years to fight against anti-Semitism in sports, through diplomatic and educational means. We greatly welcome Chelsea's initiative to strike directly at this issue, and hope that together, we will be able to stop these demonstrations once and for all."
WJC CEO Robert Singer: "The World Jewish Congress deeply appreciates the courageous efforts being made by Chelsea Football Club and its owner Roman Abramovich, to tackle this issue head on and make clear to its extended community that expressions of hatred have no place in sports. The value of one of the most prominent sports clubs in the world vigorously leading the charge in addressing this crucial issue, cannot be overstated . As we embarked on the We Remember Campaign in recent weeks, the largest Holocaust Commemoration initiative in the world, we saw an immense show of support from more than a million people, including some of the leading sports team in Europe, Israel, and the United States, who took great strides to embrace our message of remembrance and share it with the world. We encourage sports teams, associations, and federations everywhere to follow these leads and kick anti-Semitism off the playing field."
