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Chelsea supporter was arrested for allegedly racially abusing Tottenham
forward Heung-Min Son during Sunday's London derby.
The game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which Chelsea won 2-0, was
stopped during the second half by referee Anthony Taylor for a separate
allegation of racist abuse aimed at Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.
While Spurs' investigation into the incident - which has included the study
of hours of CCTV footage - has so far proved "inconclusive", it has now
emerged that an away fan was ejected and arrested during the Premier League
clash.
The Metropolitan Police, who are also investigating the alleged abuse of
Rudiger, confirmed that a supporter was arrested after allegedly committing
a racially aggravated public order offence, which is understood to have been
aimed at Spurs' South Korean forward Son.
It remains unclear exactly when the incident that led to the arrest
occurred, during the occasionally bad-tempered game, which saw Son sent off
following a VAR review for kicking out at Rudiger after 62 minutes.
It was just moments later that Rudiger reported his alleged abuse to Taylor,
after which the game was halted, before three separate announcements were
made over the public address system warning that racist behaviour among
spectators was interfering with the game.
Pressure is growing on the authorities to take stronger action after several
examples this season of racist incidents at matches.
Chelsea said in a statement on Monday evening about the Son incident: "We
are aware of an alleged racist incident involving a Chelsea supporter at
yesterday's match.
"Chelsea Football Club will not tolerate any form of racism, nor is there a
place at this club for anyone who is found to have engaged in such
behaviour.
"If a season ticket holder or member is involved, we will take the strongest
possible action against them including bans.
"We will also support any potential criminal proceedings by the relevant
authorities."
On Monday evening the Premier League released a statement which read: "The
Premier League and our clubs will not tolerate discrimination in any form.
"If people are found to have racially abused Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger or
Tottenham Hotspur's Heung-Min Son, they deserve to be punished.
"We will support Tottenham Hotspur FC and Chelsea FC in their pursuit of any
perpetrators and call for appropriate action to be taken by the authorities
and the clubs.
"We appreciate the millions of supporters who help create a positive Premier
League matchday atmosphere and have made it clear that racist conduct or
language is unacceptable.
"The Premier League uses a protocol specifically designed to support
players, managers and match officials who believe they are being subjected
to discriminatory abuse during a match.
"This protocol is intended to ensure that abuse is stopped and offenders
dealt with efficiently by clubs and police."
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