Izuchukwu OkosiThe Football Association in England has begun an investigation following allegations of homophobic chanting aimed at Everton manager Frank Lampard by Manchester United fans.
United beat Everton 3-1 at Old Trafford in the FA Cup on Friday night, and chants were heard at Old Trafford which was believed to be targeted at Lampard due to his previous roles as a player and manager at Chelsea.
Lampard played for Chelsea between 2001 and 2014 and managed at Stamford Bridge from 2019 to 2021.
The FA released a statement on Saturday saying: “We strongly condemn the use of the term ‘rent boy’ and we are determined to drive it out of our game.
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“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 the relevant authorities with impact statements from LGBTQ+ supporters, detailing how chants of this nature affect their experience and feeling of inclusion at football matches so that a clearer stance and understanding on the chant can be established.
“We stand firmly against all forms of discrimination and we are striving to ensure our game is a safe environment for all, which truly embraces diversity and challenges hateful conduct both on and off the pitch.”
A statement from Manchester United read: “Homophobia, like all forms of discrimination, has no place in football.
“Manchester United is proud of our diverse fan base and the work we have done to reduce instances like we sadly heard.
“We will continue to campaign for inclusivity and to tackle discriminatory abuse whether inside stadiums or online. This includes working with fan groups to educate fans on the offence which discriminatory language causes.”
Rainbow Devils, which is an LGBTQ+ supporters group for United, asked for action to be taken against those chanting.
Their tweet stated: “We strongly condemn the taunting of Frank Lampard with the illegal and homophobic chant from a section of our fans and call for the club to take action.
“We call on Manchester United to do everything in their power to identify the culprits and deal with them in the strongest possible manner.”
ue to campaign for inclusivity and to tackle discriminatory abuse whether inside stadiums or online. This includes working with fan groups to educate fans on the offence which discriminatory language causes.”
Rainbow Devils, which is an LGBTQ+ supporters group for United, asked for action to be taken against those chanting.
Their tweet stated: “We strongly condemn the taunting of Frank Lampard with the illegal and homophobic chant from a section of our fans and call for the club to take action.
“We call on Manchester United to do everything in their power to identify the culprits and deal with them in the strongest possible manner.”
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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