Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne has written to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters demanding action over poverty chanting following Everton‘s recent game against Chelsea.
Byrne said Everton and Liverpool supporters have endured what he described as “class prejudice” for years and called on the Premier League to show greater leadership in tackling chants aimed at people experiencing poverty.
Byrne calls for Premier League action
Sections of the Chelsea support were reported to have sung “sign on” and “we pay for your benefits” during their 2-0 victory at the Hill Dickinson earlier this month. Byrne has now taken the issue directly to Masters, confirming in a post on X that he has written to the Premier League chief executive and adding: “Mocking families who cannot afford to put food on the table is shameful.”
The issue is not new for Everton supporters. When similar chants were heard from visiting Chelsea fans at Goodison Park in 2023, Everton responded by displaying Fans Supporting Foodbanks messaging on the stadium screens, while poverty-related chanting has remained a source of frustration for supporters on Merseyside.
Fans Supporting Foodbanks was formed by Everton and Liverpool supporters in 2015 and has since developed into a wider network tackling food poverty. Byrne has been closely involved with the initiative and contrasted its work in local communities with the chants heard at football grounds, saying supporters “stand together to feed our communities”.
He believes the Premier League should now demonstrate the same solidarity and leadership. Byrne ended his message by saying “Hunger doesn’t wear colours”, with his letter putting the issue directly before Masters and increasing the pressure on the league to consider how poverty-related chanting should be addressed.
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