Fan withdraws 21-year support over racist chant

A Hereford FC fan has withdrawn his 21-year support for the club after a racist phrase was reportedly chanted by fans at an away game.

The incident happened on 30 December during a tie with Merthyr Town FC and allegedly saw a racial slur sung by a group of Hereford fans, leaving KD Rai shaken by the experience.

"In over 300 games across 23 countries, I had never once heard a similar chant to this in person. I believed it had been banished to the past," he wrote in an open letter online.

In response, chairman Chris Ammonds slammed the incident and said the club would take "the robust action necessary". South Wales Police said it was investigating and a suspect had been identified.

In the letter, published on online platform Substack, the former prison officer said: "As an Asian Hereford fan, and as a proud Punjabi Sikh, I could not believe that after 21 years of following the club I love, I witnessed a group of Hereford supporters singing [REDACTED] loudly and repeatedly before kick-off at the Merthyr game, behind the goal.

"A game I was really looking forward to with my friends was totally ruined in seconds.

"Let me tell you, having a load of people sing that chant behind you when you're one of very few ethnic minorities in the ground is not a nice experience.

"In that moment, I felt like this was no longer my club, that I no longer belonged. It was the worst I have ever felt at a football game."

Issuing a statement on Hereford FC's website, Ammonds confirmed the club had contacted Rai about the outburst.

The Bulls boss said: "Chants of this nature have no place in our society at any time, and for him or anyone else to be treated in this way is an absolute disgrace."

In September last year, two people were banned after an FA Cup tie that had to be abandoned following reports of racist abuse from the crowd.

Players left the pitch after about 67 minutes of play between Hereford FC and Sporting Khalsa at the Guardian Warehousing Arena in Willenhall.

The chairman continued: "At Hereford FC, we pride ourselves on offering a warm welcome to everyone and we will continue to do that moving forward.

"Incidents like this will not be allowed to define our great club, and we will not shy away from taking the robust action necessary to ensure that, whenever an issue arises, our entire fanbase is not tarred by the actions of a small, mindless minority."

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