Kick It Out condemns alleged homophobic chanting at Billy Gilmour

Alleged homophobic chanting by Liverpool supporters aimed at Norwich’s on-loan midfielder Billy Gilmour has been condemned by Kick It Out.

The abuse is alleged to have taken place during Liverpool’s 3-0 win at Carrow Road on Saturday.

A statement on Twitter from anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out said: “We are disappointed that only two weeks into the English football season, we have already seen numerous incidents of discrimination at stadiums up and down the country.

“The use of the term ‘rent boy’ in chants by a portion of Liverpool fans at Carrow Road was unquestionably homophobic and has no place in our game. We have also had reports of incidents at other games and are awaiting further clarification.

“As always, we thank those who reported these incidents to us, and urge fans to do the same if they witness discrimination of any kind in football in the future. We will continue to liaise with all relevant clubs and the football authorities to identify and hold accountable those responsible.”

On Saturday, Liverpool LGBT+ fans group Kop Outs tweeted: “Great result today marred by homophobic chanting by some of our fans targeting Chelsea loanee Billy Gilmour. If you can’t support without resorting to bigoted nonsense, you don’t understand.”

That was retweeted by the official account of Liverpool, who said: “The chant is offensive and inappropriate – a message we have repeatedly communicated alongside Kop Outs. We urge supporters to remember the inclusive values of the club and to refrain from using it in the future.”

Scotland international Gilmour, 20, made his competitive debut for Norwich in Saturday’s game after joining the club on a season-long loan from Chelsea in July.