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Luton Town has been penalized £120,000 due to “homophobic” singing by their fans while attending their initial Premier League match against Brighton.
The team, which recently achieved promotion to the highest level of English football for the first time since 1992, acknowledged a charge from the Football Association (FA) regarding their conduct during their match at the Amex Stadium on August 12th.
Luton has received a warning about their future behavior and has been given a two-year FA action plan.
“The team has received a fine of £120,000 from the FA for using homophobic chants during our away game against Brighton & Hove Albion,” stated the club on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Discrimination, including homophobia, has no place in both football and society.
The club stated: “As a welcoming and family-friendly organization, Luton Town strongly condemns offensive chants like this and has a strict stance against any form of discrimination. Such behavior is unacceptable in both the world of football and society as a whole, whether it occurs in person or online.”
“Individuals who participated in this act were engaged in a punishable crime, and those who are later identified will receive a ban from the Club and may be subject to investigation by law enforcement. Luton Town has collaborated with fans in recent years to establish the Rainbow Hatters supporters’ group, providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ community members to come together and discuss their experiences as Hatters supporters.”
The club had to release a statement denouncing the actions of certain fans during Liverpool’s match at Kenilworth Road on November 5th.
During the game, there were taunts that seemed to indirectly mention the Hillsborough disaster.
2019
On November 5th, 2019, Luton played against Liverpool.
At the time, Luton expressed their sadness and extreme disappointment about a small group of fans who tainted the event with chants that could be interpreted as being connected to past tragedies involving Liverpool FC.
The club emphasized that anyone responsible may receive bans from the stadium and potentially face legal consequences. The FA also reached out to the police for details following the event.
Source: independent.co.uk
