'Hateful conduct' - Southampton take stern fan action after Brighton incident

Brighton were at St Mary’s on Boxing Day for the first Premier League match following the World Cup break and won 3-1 thanks to goals from former Saint Adam Lallana, midfielder Solly March and own goal from Romain Perraud.

However, Southampton were forced to conduct an investigation after the club were made aware of homophobic chants and abuse from a small section of fans during the defeat.

A statement on the Southampton website, said: “Southampton Football Club has been made aware of a report concerning homophobic chants and abuse during the Brighton game from a small minority of fans and is working with those affected to help eliminate this type of behaviour.

“A full investigation is underway, but we can confirm that two individuals have already received a stadium ban, with another individual under additional investigation. In addition to the stadium bans we will work to educate and raise awareness among those individuals caught using any discriminatory terms as we realise that bans alone will not tackle this issue.“The club takes this matter very seriously and stands firmly against all forms of discrimination. The club does not tolerate abuse online either. We are working tirelessly to ensure St Mary’s Stadium is a safe and welcoming environment for all, which truly embraces diversity and challenges hateful conduct on and off the pitch.”