Leeds United condemn supporters after video of them singing an anti-Palestine song in support of Israeli player Manor Solomon went viral
Leeds United have condemned a section of their supporters after they sung an anti-Palestine chant in support of their Israeli player Manor Solomon.
Footage of the large group singing the song at Stoke City’s Bet365 Stadium during Leeds’ 2-0 win on Boxing Day has been viewed over five million times on X.
The lyrics, to the tune of the Manfred Mann song Do Wah Diddy Diddy, feature the words: ‘Manor Solomon’s on my mind and he hates Palestine.’
The club have since issued a damning statement and warned the supporters they could be breaking the law over the ‘unacceptable’ tragedy chanting.
‘Discriminatory language or chanting is not acceptable and supporters could be breaking the law,’ said a Leeds spokesperson. ‘The club condemns this behaviour and has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination abuse of all kinds.
‘Tough measures and sanctions are in place across all English football leagues to tackle illegal behaviours within football grounds, and this involves but is not limited to, discriminatory behaviour and tragedy chanting.’
Leeds supporters sang an anti-Palestine song in support of Israeli player Manor Solomon
Footage of the song at Stoke City’s Bet365 Stadium has been viewed over five million times
Solomon joined the club on loan from Tottenham and has scored three goals
The FA and the Football League are both thought to be aware of the chanting.
Previously, the FA have punished clubs over offensive songs by handing out fines, charging them with misconduct and implementing action plans.
Police can also take action if supporters are viewed to have engaged in discriminatory behaviour and the Crown Prosecutive Service has previously suggested that individuals found guilty of tragedy chanting could be banned from attending matches.
It is not yet known whether Leeds will face action over the derogatory chant.
Solomon joined Leeds on loan from Tottenham this season. He moved to England from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2022 after Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine.
He has contributed three goals and three assists during his stint at Elland Road.
In 2023, Solomon posted several messages on social media seemingly relating to the conflict in the Middle East, which has claimed thousands of lives.
However, his representatives were adamant they were pro-Israel statements as opposed to anti-Palestine. His Instagram account was taken down before being returned in a mistake by Meta, rather than because of the content of his posts.
More than 45,000 Palestinian people have been killed in Gaza since Israel triggered its military response to the Hamas attacks on October 7 last year, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Attempts to broker a ceasefire have been unsuccessful.
