Chelsea has announced it will play a friendly match against an American team as part of its Say No to Antisemitism Campaign.

The Blues, currently third in the League behind Manchester City and Liverpool, will travel to the United States to play Major League Soccer (MLS) side New England Revolution after the Premier League season finishes.

Both Roman Abramovich, the Jewish owner of Chelsea, and Robert Kraft, the Jewish investor/operator of New England Revolution, will donate $1 million each, together with all proceeds from the match, towards international initiatives fighting Jew-hate.

The London side launched its Say No To Antisemitism campaign in January to raise awareness and to educate the club’s players, staff and fans.

On Monday, the club, together with anti-racism football charity Kick It Out, launched a film encouraging football fans to report antisemitic abuse.
 

In the past, fans of the club have repeatedly been accused of antisemitic remarks, gestures and chants. In 2013, Yossi Benayoun, the Israeli midfielder who played for Chelsea, said the abuse from fans of his own side was the worst he had experienced in his career.

Mr Abramovich said: “I am proud of the work Chelsea does to promote equality and tackle discrimination all over the world.

“The Say No To Antisemitism campaign has already achieved so much in raising awareness of this important issue, but there remains a lot of work to do.

"I am delighted to join forces with New England Revolution and Mr Kraft in this initiative and we look forward to the match.”

Mr Kraft said he was “excited for the Revolution to host Chelsea in support of raising awareness of the dangerous manifestations of antisemitism...

“It’s clear we need to do more to help combat antisemitism and all hate crimes in the wake of on-going discrimination around the world, including the recent tragedy in Pittsburgh.”