Chelsea and Tottenham to bring fans together ahead of Carabao Cup semi-final
Friday 21 December 2018 13:34, UK
Chelsea are planning to bring rival fan groups together for talks, as they attempt to calm tensions ahead of next month's Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham.
Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea side will travel to Wembley for the first leg on January 8, a month after four Chelsea fans were suspended for allegedly racially abusing Raheem Sterling during their 2-0 Premier League win over Manchester City.
In a separate incident, Chelsea said fans who sang an anti-Semitic chant during the Europa League draw with MOL Vidi in Hungary earlier this month had "shamed the club".
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck this week wrote an open letter to fans condemning the actions of "a few mindless individuals" at some recent games.
The letter outlined Chelsea's inclusion and diversity work, including the Say No to Anti-Semitism campaign to "try and rid the game of the Y-word", which has at times been used in derogatory songs aimed at Tottenham fans.
The teams held a meeting last season ahead of their game at Stamford Bridge in April, with plans for a repeat being considered in an attempt to defuse tensions.
The talks would see representatives from both teams' fan groups meet with security officials, the clubs and the police.
