Nottingham Forest take on Arsenal at the City Ground on Sunday afternoon and the Midlands side have sent a strong message to supporters about their behaviour ahead of the game

Nottingham Forest have urged fans to stop a historic ‘misogynistic’ chant ahead of their clash with Arsenal. The Midlands side welcome the reigning Premier League champions to the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.

And before that game, Forest released a statement requesting that supporters leave their ‘Nottingham is full of fun’ chant that referenced ‘t*** and f****’ in the past - or face sanctions.

A statement read: “Nottingham Forest is proud of the inclusive environment it has worked hard to create, and remains committed to ensuring everybody feels welcome, respected, and valued.

“We recognise that a particular chant has a long history among small sections of our support. While it is only sung by a minority of supporters, the potential impact of this chant and its misogynistic nature cannot be overlooked.

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“This issue has also been raised by Nottinghamshire Police and Kick It Out, and after discussing further with our Fan Advisory Board, we are committed to delivering a united message: any form of discrimination, including misogynistic chanting, will not be tolerated.

“Any supporters identified to be engaging in discriminatory chanting may face education sessions or further action, including club bans and being placed on acceptable behaviour contracts. The Club may also face sanctions if such chanting continues.

“We want all supporters, including the women and girls who are an integral part of our Forest family, to feel safe and respected at the City Ground and when following the team away from home.

“We ask all fans to consider the impact of their words and help ensure Nottingham Forest remains an inclusive environment where everyone belongs.”

The decision did not go down particularly well with some supporters, with one replying on social media: “Pretty sure that chant started because of the massive population of females compared to males in the 60-70s? Older fans could well correct me on that though. The majority of female fans around us sing it as well.”

Forest had endured a difficult start to the season under new boss Oliver Glasner ahead of their clash with Arsenal. After winning just one of their opening six games, they were left in the relegation zone.

Their showdown with Arsenal was also their last game on home soil for a little while, with away games against Ipswich and Brentford to come ahead of taking on Manchester City at the City Ground on November 7.