In May 2019, Chelsea FC and the New England Revolution teamed up to stand up against racism and discrimination of all kinds. The two teams met at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, to play a first-of-its-kind charity match called “The Final Whistle on Hate,” which was staged to raise awareness of the growth of antisemitism around the world. The initial idea for the visit to New England was developed by the two clubs’ owners Roman Abramovich and Robert Kraft, in light of a global rise in antisemitic activity and hate crimes, including the tragic massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on 27 October last year, during which 11 innocent people lost their lives while worshipping. All proceeds from ticket sales for “The Final Whistle on Hate” went towards raising funds for projects promoting equality and tolerance. In addition, both Mr. Abramovich and Mr. Kraft donated $1 million each in support of the cause. As a result of this partnership, $4 million will be distributed among 15 organisations fighting antisemitism and discrimination, including to the World Jewish Congress, Community Security Trust, the Tree of Life synagogue, the Anti-Defamation League and the Holocaust Educational Trust.

In 2018, Chelsea staff and fans were invited to attend a trip to Auschwitz to see first-hand the horrors of the Holocaust. A group of 150 people attended an emotional visit to the Auschwitz museum and the death camp at Birkenau, where more than one million people lost their lives. Our educational work also extends into our school network, where we have introduced a range of activities to highlight the dangers of antisemitism, linked to our existing and highly successful equality workshops. Fans using antisemitic words, actions or behaviours will also be offered a chance to reduce their stadium bans by attending and satisfactorily completing a specially designed education programme to make them aware of the consequences and impact of their actions.

Chelsea and our partners believe education is key if our campaign is to succeed. We have launched a comprehensive programme to ensure people are aware of the issue of antisemitism and its effects, not only on Jewish people but also the wider community. To ensure our security staff are well equipped to identify, act on and prevent antisemitic behaviour, Chelsea, the Community Security Trust and Kick It Out have produced a definitive guide for senior stewards, as well as an easy-to-use reference for safety staff. The guide was also rebranded and distributed to all Premier League and Football League clubs.

Chelsea’s players have been enthusiastic supporters of all our anti-discrimination work and the Say No to Antisemitism campaign is no different. Across the club, players from all our teams have lent their support to this important campaign. In 2018, Chelsea became the first Premier League club to send a delegation to the March of the Living in Poland, returning in 2019 along with New England Revolution.

The March of the Living, which draws 10,000 visitors, is an annual event where people walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp, to commemorate the death march. Chelsea Academy players, club directors Bruce Buck and Eugene Tenenbaum, club ambassador Sir Steve Redgrave and former manager Avram Grant have all represented Chelsea at the March.

Chelsea have hosted and participated in a number of symposiums and conferences with academia, including with the Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sports at New York University. The Institute is now using Chelsea’s ‘Say No’ campaign in teaching and coursework as a leading example of corporate social responsibility. Chelsea sponsored a day-long conference organised by the School of Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS) at Fordham University, where speakers and panellists examined the complex and timely topic of antisemitism in the sports world. Players, coaches, managers, journalists and academics discussed antisemitic prejudice espoused on the field, in the pool, and on the track.  

In 2018, Chelsea FC partnered with the Anti- Defamation League (ADL) on an educational project promoting an Anti-Bias Climate in UK schools. The joint project will provide the tools, training and oversight to launch ADL’s ‘No Place for Hate’ framework.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has contributed towards the ADL’s Center on Extremism, which is monitoring extremist activity in the U.S. and abroad, and assisting law enforcement with investigations to disrupt and prevent terror attacks. Chelsea have hosted several delegations from the ADL at Stamford Bridge, and also joined their global conference Never is Now.

In 2019, club owner Roman Abramovich donated $5 million to the Jewish Agency, the largest Jewish non-profit organisation  in the world. This donation was to help support its work with Jewish communities, especially in countries where they are particularly vulnerable and was announced in response to the growing wave of antisemitism around the world.

Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Isaac Herzog, said: “Jewish communities around the world are coping with record numbers of dangerous, antisemitic attacks. I applaud Roman Abramovich for taking the strong initiative to combat antisemitism and am grateful for his contribution to The Jewish Agency’s efforts to ensure Jews are safe in their communities around the world. Unfortunately, as I’ve said after too many recent attacks,

Jews are once again unsafe on the streets of Europe. It’s a fact. I continue to urge global leaders to unite in a joint and organised effort to fight antisemitism and all forms of hate crimes”.

Alongside our colleagues at the World Jewish Congress (WJC), we were proud to have participated in the ‘We Remember’ campaign to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, for two consecutive years. We are also honoured to be working with the WJC on the Red Card for Hate initiative, which is an innovative three-pronged approach to combat racism, xenophobia, discrimination and antisemitism in sport.

Chelsea supported the Pitch for Hope competition, which called on young people aged 18 to 30 in the UK, United States and Israel to propose creative ideas to harness the spirit of camaraderie in sport and build bridges between people of all backgrounds, faiths and walks of life.

Winners from the three nations were subsequently invited to present their ideas at Stamford Bridge in front of club directors Bruce Buck and Eugene Tenenbaum, and representatives from the WJC.

In 2018, World Jewish Congress President, Ambassador Ronald Lauder, hosted a reception for ambassadors at his residence in New York.

In January 2020, renowned street artist Solomon Souza painted a commemorative mural of Jewish football players and British POWs who were sent to Nazi camps, to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January. The artwork is displayed on the outside wall of the West Stand at Stamford Bridge and is part of Chelsea FC’s Say No to Antisemitism campaign and funded by club owner Roman Abramovich.

On 15 January, the mural was presented during an event at Stamford Bridge commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day 2020, which this year marks the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz.

Artist Solomon Souza grew up in London and immigrated to Israel in his late teens. He has become known for his art around the Yehuda Market in Jerusalem, where he has created over 250 murals, predominantly featuring famous Israeli and Arab personalities. Solomon is the grandson of artist FN Souza, whose works are featured in many prominent museums and galleries in London, including the Victoria and Albert, British Museum and Tate Modern.