Eden Hazard has implored supporters to behave when London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham meet in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
Chelsea fans have come under increased scrutiny this season following a number of high-profile incidents, including alleged racist abuse of Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling last month.
That was followed by a situation at a Europa League match in Hungary, when a section of Chelsea supporters were accused of anti-Jewish chants, reportedly focusing on Spurs.
The two clubs face each other at Wembley on Tuesday and there is expected to be a heightened security presence, with officers reported to be specifically listening out for “hate crime”.
“I like all fans, Spurs also have good away fans. I think it is a good game to play and I hope both fans will enjoy the game.
“Of course [I hope all fans show respect]. These kind of fans [who join in abusive chants] are not fans of football, for me.
“When we are players, we are examples. The fans are also examples. I want Chelsea fans to be the best in the world. I don’t want to see a bad image of the Chelsea fans, of course. In football in general, not just Chelsea fans, in Italy we saw a lot of things.
“I want these things to disappear. It’s hard because football is a big world, but if we are all together step-by-step, players, managers, journalists, then we can do something. I want people to remember the game.”