Three football fans have been arrested for racially aggravated public order offences during Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 Carabao Cup victory over Chelsea at Wembley.
The Metropolitan Police said they are holding a 17-year-old male at a north London station following his arrest. It’s understood the alleged offence was antisemitic.
A statement from the Met Police's Football Unit on Twitter read: ”Police have arrested a 17-year-old male for a racially aggravated public order offence at tonight’s Tottenham vs Chelsea.
“The male is currently being dealt with at a north London police station.”
The Met Police's Football Unit added that two further arrests were made for similar alleged offences.
A statement from the Met Police's Football Unit on Twitter read: "That's it for tonight for SpursOfficial v ChelseaFC I can report that three males aged 17yrs 20yrs & 23yrs were arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offences. A fourth male was arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs."
Before kick-off police warned that any instances of hate crime during the fixture would be “taken seriously and thoroughly investigated”.
“We are working with London football clubs to ensure hate crime, including racism and anti-Semitic language, is tackled robustly," police said.
Prior to Tuesday’s semi-final first leg, Eden Hazard urged fans to focus on supporting their own team rather than verbally abusing opposition supporters.
He said: “Just watch the game and enjoy the game.
“For sure after the game one team will win and one team will lose. Try to be fair. I like all fans. Spurs also have good away fans.
“I think it is a good game to play and I hope both fans will enjoy the game.”
When asked about fans who sing abusive chants, Hazard said: “These kind of fans are not fans of football, for me.
“They come to the stadium just to say something. I understand they want to win the game but they need to be fair. Just support their team and not abuse the other one.”
