Matt Wright reports
Nine people have been arrested following a series of raids by British Transport Police (BTP) investigating suspected racist chanting following Charlton's FA Cup match against Fulham earlier this month.
Operation Midas was launched into events on a train between Putney and Waterloo on January 7th following reports from concerned passengers that a group of fans - believed to be Charlton supporters - were being rowdy and intimidating and had been heard chanting racist songs.
Officers immediately launched an investigation - codenamed Operation Midas - and, after working in close collaboration with Charlton officials, were able to quickly identify a number of people in connection with the incident.
At dawn on Wednesday, BTP officers - accompanied by colleagues from the Metropolitan Police and Charlton chief executive Stephen Kavanagh - visited addresses and arrested nine men.
The men were taken to police stations for further questioning.
Detective Inspector Ashley Cooper, leading the investigation for BTP, said the men were currently helping investigators.
"We launched Operation Midas after a group of men, whom we believe to be Charlton supporters, boarded a train at Putney and were heard chanting racist songs - something which was both offensive and extremely intimidating for other passengers on board," he said.
"My team of detectives has worked quickly to gather evidence, and by working closely with Charlton, coupled with excellent CCTV footage, intelligence reports and statements from witnesses, we've been able to move swiftly and make this morning's arrests."
Kavanagh added: "This kind of abhorrent behaviour is totally condemned by our club, and in addition to assisting the police, for our own part we will be seeking to ban for life anyone who is found guilty of racially offensive chanting.
"We have been a pioneer of anti-racism and anti-discrimination initiatives in football, so although these are isolated incidents and in no way reflect the overwhelming majority of Charlton supporters, these recent arrests are saddening to all those who have worked so hard over many decades.
"We have worked closely with the British Transport Police and the club's football intelligence officer to identify those responsible, and will continue to do all we can to ensure that racism has no place at our club or in football."
Charlton were the first football club to actively combat racism by holding a day dedicated to raising issues regarding discrimination at a first-team fixture following the Addicks' return to The Valley in 1992, and the club provided the driving force behind the inaugural national campaign.
Indeed, this season's Red, White and Black Day, as it was called, against Carlisle United in October was the club's 19th annual event.
In partnership with Greenwich Council, Charlton also operate the Charlton Athletic Racial Equality partnership, which is based at The Valley. This is the only project of its kind to be led by a local authority and professional football club, and works with dozens of local organisations.
In addition to strong links with the national Kick It Out organisation, Charlton works closely with the Charlton Athletic Community Trust, which sees 7,000 youngsters per week across South-East London and Kent, and delivers anti-racism messages. Among its trustees is former Charlton defender Paul Elliott, who is a leading anti-racism campaigner and received an MBE for his services to youth football and tackling racism in 2003.
Said Kavanagh: "Anyone who knows anything about Charlton, knows of the club's longstanding commitment to combating racism, and that will always be the case.
"We do our utmost to educate wherever possible, but if people cross the line, we will also do our utmost to investigate and take action against those offenders, working closely with the police."
Following complaints from fans about offensive chanting at the end of last year, the club launched a covert operation in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police at the Banks's Stadium during an away match against Walsall.
Club officials joined away supporters and were stationed in Walsall's control room to identify culprits.
Steve added: "We should be clear that we are talking about a very small minority of people, and the number of complaints we received from other supporters about their behaviour is hugely encouraging.
"Anyone who believes that behaviour of this kind is acceptable should be under no illusions that the club, in conjunction with the police, will take the strongest action possible."
If you have any information about the train incident, contact BTP on Freefone 0800 40 50 40 quoting incident B11/LSA of 23/01/2012. Alternatively, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
