Phil Hay rages at repeated Leeds matchday incidents – ‘complete embarrassment’
Phil Hay has called for something to be done about the Jimmy Savile chants as fans continue to make a “complete embarrassment” out of Leeds United.
The disgraced former BBC personality, who was found after his death to have been a prolific sex offender, has been the subject of a chant at Elland Road for years with no one putting a stop to it.
The Athletic journalist has pleaded for action to be taken against the chants that continue to haunt Leeds, with it being an easy trigger for away fans to pull at the stadium.
“And on a serious note, someone do something about the Jimmy Savile chants, for God’s sake,” Hay wrote for The Athletic on Saturday (30 December).
“The game turning a deaf ear to it is, and has always been, a complete embarrassment.”
Only causing harm
Despite this, Clive Miers, chair of the Leeds United Supporters Network, has been extremely vocal about the alleged chants recently, claiming “nobody” from the 9,000 members of Leeds’ supporters group “remember hearing this”.
But with Hay’s comment on Saturday, it is clear that there is a problem circulating Elland Road with truly harmful chants being sung around the ground.
It is easy to understand that chants about Savile could be harmful to those who have experienced sexual abuse, or any type of abuse for that matter.
It is well-known that Savile was from Leeds, but the ongoing association between him and the club can only damage the representation of the club more, which has caused growing frustrations for those who love the football club.
Chants about Savile leave a rather sour taste in the mouth in an otherwise sweetly-tasting Championship season so far, with the door to Premier League promotion still slightly ajar.
In other Leeds United news, Lee Hendrie changed his mind live on Sky Sports over a decision made in the Whites’ loss to West Brom.