Rival managers and the FA have condemned Manchester United fans’ homophobic chants at Chelsea

England football bosses have condemned Manchester United fans’ homophobic chants at Chelsea.

There were occasional shouts of abuse from some away fans as United drew 1-1 in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.

United boss Eric ten Haag and his Chelsea counterpart Graham Potter have complained about the chants, and the Football Association has vowed to tackle discriminatory behaviour.

“The FA strongly condemns the use of the term ‘loan boy’ and we are determined to remove it from our game,” said an FA spokesman.

“We continue to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as the UK Football Policing Unit, in relation to the use of this term.

“Part of our work in this area has been to provide relevant authorities with impact statements from LGBTQ+ fans detailing how chants of this nature affect their experience and sense of inclusion at football matches, so that a clearer position and understanding of the chants could be established.

“We strongly oppose all forms of discrimination and are committed to ensuring that our game is a safe environment for all that truly embraces diversity and challenges hateful behavior both on and off the pitch.

“We believe football is a game for everyone and we will continue to do everything we can to use our influence to drive meaningful change so that our game is for everyone.”

Chelsea chose the United match as an opportunity to support Stonewall’s Rainbow Lace anti-discrimination campaign, but some away fans chanted homophobic chants throughout the match.

The club issued a brief statement after the full day’s work, saying the chants showed there was still work to be done.

“Chelsea Football Club considers all forms of discriminatory behavior to be completely unacceptable and we condemn the language used by some people at Stamford Bridge today,” it said.

“We are proud to support the Stonewall Rainbow Laces campaign and today is proof that we must do more to make football a game for all.

“This year we educate, celebrate, communicate and motivate our players, staff, fans and community to ally and take action.”

Asked about the singing, Potter said: “Obviously we still have a lot of work to do.”

Ten Haag condemned the chanting but also insisted Chelsea fans should not have abused United defender Raphael Varane when he left the pitch injured.

“I don’t think it’s a place in the stands, and I’m referring to the stands as well as the whole stadium,” Ten Haag said.

“When Raphael came out, it was the same on the other side; so we should all stop doing it.”