Manchester United warns fans: "Chelsea renter man" may be arrested by police

September 19: Manchester United posted a video on its official website warning fans that they might be arrested when singing "Chelsea Rental Man" during the game. The song sang in public has now been identified as a hate crime by British police.

Manchester United will face Chelsea at home in the Premier League this weekend, and Garnacho, who joins the Blues, will return to Old Trafford again, but may be hostile and unfriendly from Manchester United fans. On the eve of the game, Manchester United also reminded fans to be cautious in their words and actions, otherwise they may be arrested by the police.

Manchester United said that the term "rental man" is a term for male sex workers. The use of the term has been identified as a hate crime by the FA and British police. Fans using this slogan may be expelled from the court, suspended or face criminal charges.

Manchester United made it clear in the statement: "This slogan is offensive, inappropriate, and should not appear on our stadium or game."

Manchester United also posted a 4-minute video on its official website, explaining the history of the term and repeatedly stressing the harmfulness of this offensive slogan. A content warning is attached at the beginning of the video, prompting some viewers to be affected and uncomfortable after watching.

Other clubs have also dealt with similar "rental men" slogans when facing Chelsea. In 2023, a Fulham fan was banned from watching the game for three years for admitting to using homophobic slogans and suspected of obstructing public order. Last season, West Ham was fined £120,000 for his homophobic slogan against Chelsea. Millwall was also fined £15,000 for fans to play homophobic slogans against Ben Chilwell, who was loaned from Chelsea.

Former Liverpool coach Klopp met with Paul Oman, founder of Liverpool LGBT+ fan group Kop Outs to discuss the impact of homophobia in football matches.

Manchester United also quoted the explanation of "Rainbow Devil" to illustrate why the word is offensive. "In the 1960s and 1970s, the Chelsea area in the West End of London was a gathering place for LGBTQ+ people, where there were many bars and places for them to communicate freely. Therefore, the slogan of ‘Chelsea’ was actually a homophobic insult, implying that Chelsea players and fans sold themselves to other men."

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