Cardiff City have been fined £15,000 by the Football Association after supporters directed homophobic chanting at Chelsea during an EFL Cup quarter-final in December.
The chanting occurred around the second minute of Chelsea’s 3-1 win at Cardiff City Stadium on 16 December 2025, and the FA’s independent Regulatory Commission found the club had failed to ensure spectators did not engage in discriminatory behaviour.
The chant in question has been defined by the FA as a homophobic slur and has been treated as a prosecutable offence by the Crown Prosecution Service since January 2022. In its written reasons, the FA panel noted that the case fell under Rule E21, which covers improper, offensive or abusive conduct, including references to sexual orientation.
Cardiff City have acknowledged the sanction but said they are appealing the size of the fine, which they describe as excessive. The club maintains that it acted immediately on the night by deploying police to the relevant section of the stadium and displaying anti-discrimination messaging on the big screen. Cardiff say they will rely on those actions as part of their appeal.
Alongside the fine, the FA has imposed an action plan that will remain in place until the end of the 2026-27 season. According to both the club statement and the FA decision, that plan focuses on strengthening existing work around awareness, prevention and accountability.
In a statement, Cardiff said the club has a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and will continue working with police and football authorities to address it. The club added that no form of discriminatory behaviour is tolerated and that it remains committed to tackling it both in football and in wider society.
The case is part of a wider effort by the FA and clubs to treat homophobic chanting as a serious form of discriminatory abuse, rather than as a routine part of football culture. That final point is an inference based on the FA charge, sanction and action-plan approach in this case.
