Frank Lampard, Ledley King and Kieran Gibbs are spearheading a campaign to rid English football of antisemitism.
The Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal players star in a film written and produced by David and Ivor Baddiel tackling anti-Jewish abuse and chants.
The ‘Kick it Out’ campaign is behind the initiative, which among other things wants to end chants of ‘Yiddo’ by Tottenham supporters.
In the film, Lampard says: “Racist chanting is against the law.”
He adds: “For some reason some fans still shout the Y-word. Some might think it’s just a bit of a laugh, but… it’s against the law to call someone the Y-word on the street.”
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who used to play for Tottenham, also appears in the one-minute film, which has the backing of the Football Association and the Players’ Football Association.
David Baddiel, the television comedian and novelist whose mother Sarah was a refugee from Nazi Germany, said: “The film is not intended to censor football fans.
“It’s simply to raise awareness that the Y-word is – and has been for many, many years – a race hate word.
“It’s our belief that some football fans may not even realise this, and the film is designed therefore to inform and raise debate.”
Tottenham executive director Donna Cullen added: “It is unthinkable and wholly unacceptable that, in this day and age, supporters are subjected to antisemitic abuse such as hissing to imitate the gas chambers used during the Holocaust in the Second World War.
“We are committed to eliminating all forms of racism and we shall support efforts to kick antisemitism out of the game.”
