Leeds United condemn Manor Solomon chants after what happened at Stoke
Leeds United have condemned anti-Palestine lyrics included in a chant about Manor Solomon during their win at Stoke City, iNews have said.
The newspaper reported correspondence from an Elland Road spokesperson on 27 December after the chant “Manor Solomon’s on my mind, and he hates Palestine” was heard from away fans in the 2-0 victory on Boxing Day.
Solomon has previously posted pro-Israel messages on his social media accounts, but United have been quick to condemn such chanting, and an FA or EFL charge could potentially be in the pipeline.
The club’s spokesperson said: “Discriminatory language or chanting is not acceptable and supporters could be breaking the law.
“The club condemns this behaviour and has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination abuse of all kinds.
“Tough measures and sanctions are in place across all English football leagues to tackle illegal behaviours within football grounds.
“This involves, but is not limited to, discriminatory behaviour and tragedy chanting.”
Leeds United respond to Manor Solomon chant
While the Whites have quickly come out to show their disgust with the chants heard in the away end at the Bet365 Stadium, they likely won’t have heard the last of the fallout which will stem from them.
Tragedy chanting – whether related to specific clubs, players, or other global events like in this case – should be condemned in all its forms, with few sets of fans not being affected by tragedy themselves.
Solomon’s status as a long-serving Israel international should not be misconstrued into shaping him as a player with such opinions on the conflict in the Middle East, nor should it see him become a lightning rod.
The Peacocks winger is bang in form at the moment having scored the fourth goal in the 4-0 win over Oxford United at Elland Road on 21 December, and it’s his footballing ability which should be the focus.
Making Solomon the subject of disgusting chants with potentially huge consequences is as disrespectful as it is idiotic, and it remains to be what the FA and EFL’s responses are in the coming weeks.
In other Leeds news, one Whites player has suffered a fresh injury setback just weeks after returning to the first-team fold.
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