Chelsea Pride chair Tracy Brown: Wolves' punishment for homophobic chanting 'monumental'

Wolves last week became the first club to be punished by the Football Association solely over the use of the 'Chelsea rent boy' chant by their supporters during a home win over the Blues in April.

The Premier League club were fined £100,000 and imposed with an 11-point action plan in a new approach by the FA to combat the use of the slur.

"Behind the scenes the work (FA's bid to combat homophobia) hasn't actually stopped, if anything it has got bigger because actually they're looking at individuals, but this is where clubs are now at huge risk," Brown, chair of Chelsea's LGBTQ+ supporters group, told the PA news agency.

"This monumental moment in time this week screams that we have to educate our fanbases, and for me it's not about educating fanbases about one chant, it's about educating them in general.

"I think the biggest moment with the Wolves case is that there was a tannoy announcement and all they (Wolves supporters) did was chant back with 'we'll sing what we want' and I think that arrogance is why they've landed up with a massive club fine.

"This now is a big moment for all clubs to realise that we have to act now before the season starts. It's time we take the bull by the horns and keep pushing to educate."

As part of the 11-point action plan there must be a full review of Wolves' steward management after an apparent lack of action against the supporters who sang the chant.

And Brown noted that education on the matter needs to be extended to stewards so that all forms of discrimination can be policed more effectively at games.

"We need to change the way steward training is done because all clubs do training individually," Brown said.

"The senior staff at Chelsea and around the country who watch over each stand within football need to be more empowered to stop fans chanting (discriminatory chants).

"They need to lead that frontline and own the job they're doing and be strong enough to say that is unacceptable and we will pull you out of the ground, we'll warn you, and that again comes down to education.

"I'd like to see that same level of education given to (staff of) all Premier League clubs, Championship clubs, etc, and that can come from the FA so then everyone will have the same remit of work they have to do."

Brown proposed that governing bodies from around the United Kingdom create a plan together in a bid to crack down on homophobia and other forms of abuse in football.

She said: "The FA, the FA for Wales, the Irish and Scottish FA, the Premier League, the EFL and the National League need to come together and come up with a plan as a unit together and then that gets implemented down the football pyramid.

"Real change happens when the people at the top take responsibility."

The FA has been approached for comment.