Leeds issue a statement on homophobic and Jimmy Savile chants which were heard during the game against Brighton at the weekend.
The club have warned any supporters found to have taken part in homophobic chanting in Sunday’s Premier League game fixture will be banned from Elland Road.
They said that the chanting which took place during the 1-0 win, despite telling fans in the stadium before the game about how unacceptable it is to sing it.
Club Statement: Homophobic Chanting
— Leeds United (@LUFC) May 18, 2026
The club said: “Leeds United Football Club are aware of homophobic chanting which took place during Sunday’s Premier League fixture with Brighton & Hove Albion at Elland Road.
“As was communicated before the fixture, any form of discriminatory chanting has no place in football.
“For this match, extra cameras were deployed in stands and anyone identified in taking part in homophobic chanting will face a lengthy stadium ban.
“The club are also aware of disappointing Jimmy Savile chants, however, this does not make other forms of discriminatory and homophobic chanting acceptable.”
— Marching Out Together (@MarchingoutLUFC) May 19, 2026
Leeds fan group Marching out Together said: “Along with the majority of our fans, we were angered and disappointed by the homophobic chants and gestures by some of our “fans” during the match against Brighton & Hove Albion. We welcome the prompt statement from the club saying that action will be taken against those participating in discriminatory and illegal behaviour.
“At the same time we thank the club for their continued efforts to challenge discrimination and to encourage inclusion. And we recognise that the vast majority of our fans oppose discrimination and offensive behaviour, and support action to eradicate it.”
Back in March, Leeds United urged English football authorities and the UK Crown Prosecution Service to treat Jimmy Savile songs as tragedy chants.
Leeds United have urged the UK Crown Prosecution Service and English football authorities to treat songs relating to Jimmy Savile as ‘tragedy chants’ and make them public order offences.
The FA contacted the UK Football Policing Unit, who have told that Savile chants doesn’t constitute an offence.
The UKFPU said to The Athletic that it had not “specifically said that all chants regarding Jimmy Savile or similar would not meet the threshold for a criminal offence. Advice was sought on a specific case with a CPS lawyer and in that case, it was deemed it did not meet a criminal threshold” and that it treats “all cases independently”, a position reiterated by the CPS after they were contacted.
A spokesperson for Leeds have told The Athletic: “Leeds United Football Club have lobbied and would be fully supportive of Jimmy Savile chants being classed as tragedy chanting and a hate crime.
“The club’s supporters are subjected to these sickening taunts at every match by opposition fans, which should not be happening in today’s game and are a disgrace to the victims of Jimmy Savile’s abuse. Equally, the club disapproves of retaliatory chants from our own supporters.
“The club is pleased this is finally being brought to the forefront by the media and hope that this can be the first step in helping to eradicate these chants, with support of the relevant governing bodies.”
Katie Russell, co-founder of Support After Rape and Sexual Violence Leeds (SARSVL), said to The Athletic: “By implication, they (the authorities) are clamping down on one type of tragedy and turning a blind eye to another and that is not good logic, in fact it’s bizarre.
“The (Savile) chanting trivialises male sexual violence and is triggering and distressing for survivors. It also has to potentially enable further male violence towards women.
“There is an ongoing debate about whether misogyny is a hate crime. This type of thing could potentially be viewed as one in the future because chanting and joking about a prolific offender is going to make the average woman feel unsafe.”
Mick Ward, a Leeds fan and part of the club’s Marching Out Together supporters’ group, said: “What Savile did is not a tragedy in the classic sense but it is a tragedy due to the number of people affected. Singing about him is done for the same purpose as tragedy chanting.
“The authorities need to crack down on it. What is it like to hear that if you are a victim of Savile? The police are quite capable of arresting people on demonstrations for holding up a placard. I’m sure the they are capable of arresting someone for singing a song about a paedophile and a rapist.”
An FA spokesperson said to The Athletic: “We strongly condemn any offensive, abusive and discriminatory chants in football stadiums.
“It is unacceptable and can have a lasting and damaging impact on people and communities within our game – and we support any club and their fans who try to eradicate this behaviour from the terraces. We continue to work closely with our stakeholders across the game and the relevant authorities to proactively address this issue.”
Four years ago, the Crown Prosecution Service said they are ready to take criminal action over the “rent boy” chant which has been heavily condemned.
Asked on the “rent boy” chant, a CPS spokesperson told The Telegraph: “The CPS continues to take racist and homophobic chanting at football matches extremely seriously and is working closely the FA, football clubs and charities to drive this hideous behaviour out of the game.
“The impact on groups attacked by this type of mob behaviour can be devastating. We will not hesitate to prosecute anyone of these actions where there is sufficient evidence to do so.”
The CPS also says that tragedy chanting is ‘tragedy-related abuse’ which references fatal accidents or stadium disasters that involve fans, players or officials of rival clubs.
Chants about the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters, as well as the Munich Air Crash and the deaths of Leeds fans in Istanbul included.
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