Chelsea have found themselves at the centre of another race probe, only hours after it was announced that referee Mark Clattenburg will return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since he was wrongly accused of racially abusing one of their players.
While Chelsea prepare for Clattenburg’s visit for the Premier League encounter with Swansea on Sunday, the club have also been forced to respond to claims Yossi Benayoun was the victim of anti-Semitic taunts from his own supporters.
The Israel international was booed by Blues supporters as he came on as a late substitute during the 2-2 draw at Liverpool, but Stamford Bridge officials are looking into accusations that Benayoun was racially abused by members of the club’s travelling support.
Controversy: This time Yossi Benayoun is alleged to have been the victim of anti-Semitic taunts
Club staff have assured the midfielder that they will come down hard on any fan found guilty of racially abusing him.
Benayoun alluded to the anti-Semitic nature of the alleged jibes on his Twitter account yesterday. The former Liverpool midfielder upset Blues fans in a recent interview when he claimed the club had mishandled £50million striker Fernando Torres, whom he also played alongside at Anfield.
He tweeted yesterday: ‘The booing came from (a) small part of the Chelsea fans (that have) been doing it since I did an interview about Torres There is some other issues the club is taking care (of) and try to handle them in the right way ... as sometimes people are crossing the limit. And I’m sure the club will sort it.’
Back in the frame: Benayoun has played himself into contention under Rafa Benitez
It is not the first time Chelsea have been forced to investigate alleged racial abuse from their fans towards a squad member.
In December 2011, Sportsmail revealed how the club were probing accusations that Daniel Sturridge was called a ‘monkey’ during a Champions League clash in Genk.
Earlier this season, referee Clattenburg was accused of racially abusing John Mikel Obi during Chelsea’s home defeat by Manchester United on October 28. The FA cleared him of using racist language, while police dropped their investigation into the incident.
Returning: Mark Clattenburg has not refereed a Chelsea game since serious allegations against him in October
Clattenburg did not referee for four weeks while the FA looked into the allegation. Since resuming his duties, he has not officiated at a Chelsea match, but the club have no issue with his appointment.
Chairman Bruce Buck made that clear when he held clear-the-air talks with Clattenburg and other top English referees at St George’s Park, the FA’s centre of excellence.