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Fans of the English football club Chelsea, who have been banned because of racist or anti-Semitic statements with a stadium ban, can in future participate in an educational program of the club. As part of the initiative "Say No To Antisemitism" visits to the former concentration camp Auschwitz for Chelsea fans and employees of the association are planned. Attendance can be used to reduce outright stadium blocks.
A spokesman for Chelsea confirmed the considerations to the German Press Agency and stressed that the focus was on the Enlightenment. How exactly this will be implemented, still needs to be clarified. Previously, the tabloid Sun had reported on it. Accordingly, the project was initiated by club owner Roman Abramovich, who is himself Jewish faith.
In the past, some Chelsea supporters have repeatedly attracted attention through racist and anti-Semitic behavior. In September 2017, fans after a game at Leicester City anti-Semitic songs were sung against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, which is known for its Jewish fan base.
In 2015, supporters of the Blues had prevented a dark-skinned man in a metro station from getting on the train before a Champions League match at Paris St. Germain (1-1). They voted the battle cry "We are racists and we like that".
As part of a new initiative launched by the club in January, a film was shown Wednesday in London to raise awareness of the impact of anti-Semitic and racist behavior on Jewish fans and the entire football community. "If you just banish people from the stadium, you will never change their behavior," said Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck after the film screening. "This strategy gives them the opportunity to understand what they have done and to behave better."