The Metropolitan Police is probing an allegation that a Chelsea fan committed a racially aggravated public order offence, believed to have been aimed at Tottenham star Son Heung-Min.
The match between the two sides was marred by a racist incident which saw Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger complain of being subjected to monkey noises from the Tottenham fans.
It is understood a supporter targeted Son, who did not hear any insults aimed at him, and the incident was reported to the authorities by fellow Chelsea fans.
South Korean international Son was shown a red card in the fixture for kicking out at Rudiger in the 62nd minute, which seemingly sparked the racist behaviour from some supporters.
In the aftermath of the altercation, Rudiger was then seen mimicking a monkey’s actions as he informed the officials of the abuse he had heard.
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An announcement was then made on the tannoy system at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium warning fans that further racist behaviour would not be tolerated.
Tottenham were following step one of UEFA’s racism protocol – the first time it has been used in the Premier League.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “Police were made aware of alleged racist chanting during the second half of the Tottenham vs Chelsea match on Sunday, 22 December.
“Officers will work with the club in an attempt to identify any people responsible.”
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Tottenham launched their own investigation into the complaints, and released a statement on Monday.
It read: “During yesterday’s match against Chelsea, Antonio Rudiger reported hearing alleged racist abuse from an individual(s) in the South Stand.
“We are able to track every fan via the cameras and have spent many hours reviewing CCTV footage. We have engaged lip readers to study the footage and contacted Chelsea for further information from their players.
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“We have also taken statements from other parties present at the time. The police will be reviewing our evidence alongside us. Please be assured we shall be exhaustively investigating this matter.
“This Club has a proud track record of anti-racism work across all our communities and we are determined to ensure that we conduct a thorough investigation. Any fan found to be guilty will receive a lifetime ban.
“At this time however we should point out that our findings are inconclusive and would ask that comment is reserved until the facts are established.”
There was some confusion as to whether more than one incident had been reported, due to the tannoy announcement being repeated later on.
However Spurs made an effort to clear up any doubt, stating that referee Anthony Taylor had asked for them to follow the UEFA protocol rather than that of the Premier League, which included a further announcement.
Their statement added: “The Premier League protocol differs from UEFA protocol in that it does not call for an announcement rather that the individual(s) be dealt with by the Safety Team in the first instance.
“We have asked that the Premier League clarifies the position regarding the use of these protocols to all stakeholders going forward.”
