West Ham has asked fans to refrain from singing the Manor Solomon chant—containing anti-Palestinian lyrics—before their opening home match of the season.
The Hammerssigned the Israeli international, who found the net on his first appearance againstBurnley on Sunday, from Tottenham Hotspur for £5million.
During the match, a part of West Ham supporters could be heard singing, “Manor Solomon is on my mind and he hates”Palestine‘ in relation to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Some Leeds UnitedFans chanted the same song while Solomon was temporarily with the team during the 2024-25 season.
While the slogan is not categorized under theMetropolitan PoliceWest Ham have taken a proactive approach by releasing a statement denouncing the chant prior to their home match against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, as the threshold for tragedy-related chanting and the FA’s response remain uncertain.
A club statement stated: ‘No matter where they are from, every fan in our wide-ranging supporter base should also be able to enjoy watching their team play football without fear, prejudice, or harassment.’
And we are dedicated to making sure that every individual feels secure, valued, and part of the community.
The Club has knowledge of an offensive and polarizing chant, which includes a message against Palestine, being sung by part of the visiting supporters during our opening EFL Championship game at Burnley on Sunday afternoon.
We recognize that singing and chanting are an integral and long-established element of the matchday atmosphere.
We invite our supporters to enthusiastically and confidently express their loyalty to our football club and the players in the claret and blue jersey – however, this should never lead to division or offend other fans.
Fairness, equal opportunity, variety, and acceptance are central to the club, and we are convinced of football’s ability to connect and unite individuals.
We anticipate that individuals representing the Club—whether players, staff, officials, or fans—will embrace these principles and ensure that, irrespective of personal backgrounds or convictions, we remain as our name indicates: United.
Let’s ensure our support is something we can be proud of, and that others will envy when they confront us.
Solomon has earned 49 caps representing Israel since he first played in 2018 and finished his military service with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).
He has previously posted on his social media profile that seem to support the current conflict.
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