West Ham United have banned a season ticket holder and threatened further action while the FA has launched an investigation after anti-Semitic chanting marred Sunday’s 3-1 Premier League loss at Tottenham Hotspur. English soccer, long seen as having drastically reduced racism unlike some southern European footballing nations, has been beset by racism problems over the past year. The east London club said in a statement on Monday that five fans were arrested during the game and two more were cautioned by police for “racially aggravated gesturing”, which media reports referred to as Nazi salutes. West Ham are also working with London rivals Tottenham to identify fans heard taunting Spurs supporters, who have strong Jewish ties. Visiting fans are alleged to have sung “Viva Lazio” and “Can we stab you every week?” in relation to the attack which left a Tottenham fan seriously injured when a group stormed a bar Spurs supporters were drinking at in Rome ahead of a Europa League match with Lazio last week.
