FA-funded Homophobia Video Aims to End Crowd Abuse

The Football Association is to fund an anti-homophobia video in an attempt to rid football grounds of anti-gay chanting and abuse. While it is hoped that high-profile Premier League players will appear in the video, no top-flight club has yet committed to the project.

The DVD was agitated for by Peter Tatchell of the gay rights group OutRage!, who had accused the FA of "sitting on its hands" in response to homophobic chanting. Tatchell's proposals have now been given the go-ahead by the FA and its equality and diversity organization, Kick It Out, with the backing of the Professional Footballers' Association, which represents England's top players.

"After years of lobbying, the FA has agreed to approach top footballers to make a MTV-style video against homophobia," said Tatchell, who hopes that players such as David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Frank Lampard will agree to appear in the DVD. "The plan is to feature big-name stars speaking out against homophobia, in order to make anti-gay chants look as stupid, ignorant and uncool as racist ones."

Tatchell wants the video shown at football grounds and distributed to schools, as well as being broadcast on television and the internet with the aim of having a global impact, but he believes sterner punishment for offenders is also in order. "OutRage! has been pressing the FA for many years to tackle homophobia in the same way that it tackles racism. We are delighted that the FA has finally agreed to our video proposal. But we are also pressing for additional action to stamp out prejudice."

An FA spokesman said that at this stage only funding had been agreed and that "we'll move on from here".

Tottenham Hotspur, like all the Premier League clubs contacted by the Guardian, refused to commit to participating in the video until they knew the details. "If it's coming from the FA and is FA-approved and Premier League-approved then we would definitely consider it," said a club spokesman. "Obviously we need to know in what context the players are going to be used and even down to what they are expected to say or what they are supposed to do. It all comes into consideration when we are making these kinds of decisions, and what positions you put players in."

The former Tottenham player Sol Campbell was the subject of homophobic chants when playing for Portsmouth. Two Tottenham fans arrested in December for suspected indecent or racist chanting at Fratton Park on 28 September were bailed until 21 January. This was after Hampshire police released images of 16 Spurs fans suspected of aiming racist and homophobic chants at Campbell, to send a "clear message" that abuse from the stands would not be tolerated.

Tottenham Hotspur would be prepared to participate in the video, providing it is appropriate. "There doesn't seem to be any reason why we wouldn't do it and we, as a club, do whatever we can within our resources to support initiatives like this, said the spokesman. "If it's appropriate then we will do it, but it's very hard to say at this stage."

Justin Fashanu was the first openly gay professional player when he came out in 1990. Eight years later, after he committed suicide, a coroner said that prejudices, and the sexual assault charge he was facing, probably overwhelmed him.

Jason Bartholomew-Hall, of the Justin Fashanu Campaign, said: "Footballers are revered by youngsters. It would be fantastic if they saw their heroes saying that homophobia is unacceptable."