Chants, Boundaries, and the Debate Over Women’s Football Culture

Image: Manchester United Women fans supporting Credit: BBC Sport

By Katie Vince (19/11/2024)

Recent headlines have highlighted the ongoing issue of harmful chants in football, particularly following an incident at Tottenham’s away game against Manchester United in the men’s Premier League. Tottenham fans directed homophobic chants at United midfielder Mason Mount, as he was substituted on the field - a breach of FA rules that resulted in a fine for the club.

This raises an important question: when does a chant cross the line in football, particularly in the context of women’s football, which is often regarded as a “family-friendly” environment?

Women’s teams have previously had their own issues with chanting from both players and fans. A particularly big headline came in 2022, when footage of Republic of Ireland players singing was posted to social media. The players, who were celebrating their qualification for the World Cup, sang pro-IRA chants in the dressing rooms. 

The group were immediately called out on this and investigated by UEFA. Vera Pauw, the manager at the time, profusely apologised for the chants and any harm caused by them. As a result of the investigation, the FAI was charged 20,000 euros (£17,271).

Prior to this event, Manchester United fans were called out in 2019, regarding chants made by fans during their fixture against Liverpool at home. “Always the victim, it’s never your fault” was the chant directed at the Liverpool players and fans. The chant refers to the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, where 97 fans lost their lives in a fatal crowd crush.

This phrase was something that regularly circulated amongst the fans of the men’s game, but this was the first instance of it being flagged at a women’s match. Liverpool reported these harmful chants to the FA, and although no direct action was taken against Manchester United, the FA issued a reminder to fans about matchday etiquette.

These chants are harmful and do not belong in the women’s game. Although, not every chant is like this.

The chants made by fans during Chelsea’s game against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge sparked an online debate of what is acceptable at a women’s game. Chelsea fans sung the famous: “What do we think of Tottenham? S**t!” throughout the game, which was criticised for the swearing used. 

Another popular chant in the game is from the home fans of a stadium to the opposition’s goalkeeper. During a goal kick, the fans shout “You’re s**t, ahhh!”, as a way of intimidating the GK, hoping that it will lead to a dip in their confidence and result in them conceding during the game.

The criticism mainly focuses on the chants being inappropriate for children to hear. Although, it is helpful to note that many stadiums have a dedicated family section, creating a separation between the passionate chanters and many of the children. Even disregarding this, a lot of the rivalry in football is expressed through these chants

“Describing women’s football simply as ‘family friendly’ does a disservice to the sport and it’s players” (Batte, 2024)

Women’s football is growing every day, and it is understood that a big section of supporters are children and families. However, is this family-friendly environment limiting the growth of the game?

The growing criticism of harmless chants in women’s games risks stripping away the joy and energy that passionate fans bring to the stadium.

“It infantilises women’s football fans and reduces them to silent, passive cheerleaders” (Lloyd-Hughes, 2024). 

We don’t want the hate speech heard at the majority of men’s league games, however we don’t want silence.

As the game continues to develop, the sport must find a balance - preserving the atmosphere of passionate fandom, while ensuring that harmful or inappropriate behaviour has no place in the stands. It’s about creating an environment that welcomes everyone, without diluting the excitement that makes football so compelling.

Sources:

Batte, Kathryn. “Surely the Women’s Game Can Have Rivalries and Be Family Friendly.” Mail Online, 20 Feb. 2024, www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13102437/KATHRYN-BATTE-Surely-womens-game-rivalries-family-friendly-rivalry-does-not-mean-violence-aggression-abuse.html.

Lloyd-Hughes, Flo. “Stop Infantilising Women’s Football Fans.” MUNDIAL, 25 Oct. 2024, www.goal.com/mundial/infantilisation-womens-football-fans-must-stop/. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.