Luton Town fined £120,000 for homophobic chanting during Premier League opener at Brighton & Hove Albion

Luton Town have been fined £120,000 and issued with a two-year action plan after accepting a charge of abusive, offensive, homophobic and discriminatory chanting by their supporters during the opening Premier League fixture of the season at Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Hatters lost 4-1 in the game that took place on Saturday, August 12 at the Amex Stadium, their first top flight fixture in over 40 years.

However, a statement on the FA website this afternoon said: “An independent Regulatory Commission has imposed an action plan and £120,000 fine on Luton Town for misconduct in relation to crowd control at their game against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday 12 August 2023.

“Luton Town admitted that they failed to ensure their spectators and/or supporters (and anyone purporting to be supporters or followers) conduct themselves in an orderly fashion; and do not use words or otherwise behave in a way which is improper, offensive, abusive, indecent, or insulting with either express or implied reference to sexual orientation.

“The Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for the club’s sanctions can be seen below.”

Meanwhile, the Hatters themselves responded in an official club statement, saying: “Luton Town Football Club has been fined £120,000, warned as to its future conduct and issued with a two-year action plan by the Football Association.

“The Club accepted a charge following abusive, offensive, homophobic, discriminatory chanting by supporters at the opening Premier League fixture of the season away to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday 12th August.

“As an inclusive, family-oriented club, Luton Town abhors abusive chanting such as this and has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination of all kinds.

"It is not acceptable towards anyone in football or wider society, either in person or online.

“Those involved were committing a criminal offence and anyone subsequently identified will be issued with a Club ban and face potential police investigation.

“Luton Town has worked with supporters in recent seasons to help form the Rainbow Hatters supporters’ group for members of the LGBTQ+ community, who meet regularly to share their experiences of watching the Hatters.

“We will continue to promote the ‘Love Football. Protect The Game’ campaign, which this season has focused especially on fan behaviour, and will work further with supporter groups to educate and inform on all forms of discriminatory acts to ensure that watching Luton Town is a safe and welcoming experience for everyone.

“Please email [email protected] if you have any concerns or incidents to report at a Luton Town fixture.”