Chelsea vow to identify chanters

The club were forced to condemn fans who were clearly heard chanting “Anton Ferdinand, you know what you are” in their 1-1 Group E draw.

Chelsea captain John Terry, is under police investigation over allegations he racially abused QPR defender Ferdinand during last month’s west London derby, something he denies.

UEFA confirmed yesterday that neither the match delegate nor referee Svein Oddvar Moen made any mention of the chanting in their reports. But the club then took the initiative themselves and a spokesman said: “The chanting by a vocal minority was wholly inappropriate and Chelsea Football Club does not condone such behaviour.

“We will be working with the appropriate authorities to seek out those responsible.

“Chelsea FC believes – as we are sure do the vast majority of our fans – that all forms of discrimination are abhorrent and have no place in our society.

“As a club, we work hard on educating our fans on these issues and will continue to do so.

“We work closely with the football authorities and anti-racism organisations and we are fully committed to eradicating racism and all other forms of discrimination from the game.”

Had the match delegate or referee alleged the chanting was of a racist nature in their reports, UEFA’s disciplinary unit would have been forced to look into the matter.

European football’s governing body said they could still do so should “any other piece of evidence of such chanting be made available”, even though it would seem to be difficult to prove the taunts were racially motivated.

It is also understood there is no CCTV footage of the chanting, which could make identifying individuals difficult.

Possible UEFA sanctions for racist chanting include fines and forcing clubs to play matches behind closed doors.

Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion campaign, also condemned last night’s abuse.

Chairman Lord Herman Ouseley said: “As with all incidents of abuse in European competition, it is under the jurisdiction of UEFA to determine whether action will be taken. There is also a duty and obligation for Chelsea FC to do likewise. We’d urge the club to warn supporters of their conduct before future fixtures.”