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Club urge fans to drop chant with ‘anti-Palestine message’Section of away crowd sang chant during game at BurnleyWest Ham have condemned “an offensive and divisive chant” and urged fans not to sing it at their first Championship home game of the season against Charlton Athletic this Saturday.The chant, which relates to Israel winger Manor Solomon and includes an “anti-Palestine message”, was sung by a section of the club’s away support during their opening game against Burnley last Sunday, which ended in a 2-2 draw.In a statement, West Ham said: “We understand that singing and chanting is a traditional and deeply-embedded part of the matchday experience. We encourage our supporters to sing loud and proud about their football club and the players wearing the claret and blue shirt, but never in a way that creates division or causes offence among fellow fans. “We are immensely proud of the fact that West Ham United has always been an inclusive football club, ever since our formation in 1895 … in the 131 years that have followed, that identity has evolved with the club located in one of the most diverse and multi-cultural areas of London, always open and welcoming to those who become members of the West Ham family and share the values we cherish. “Equality, equity, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the club, and we believe in the power of football to unite and bring people together,” the statement added. “We expect those who represent the club – be that players, staff, officials or supporters – to share those values and ensure that, regardless of individual backgrounds or beliefs, we are as our name says: United. Let’s make sure our support is something to be proud of, and the envy of all who face us.”Solomon scored the Hammers’ second goal on his debut at Turf Moor last weekend. The 27-year-old winger moved from Tottenham earlier this month for a reported £5m fee, having also turned out for Fulham and Leeds United in England. West Ham will look to win their first game of the season at the London Stadium after dropping points late on against Burnley. The Hammers had a 2-0 lead after Solomon scored in the 72nd minute but two goals from Zian Flemming, including an injury-time equaliser, left the manager Nuno Espírito Santo “disappointed”. Nuno also told BBC Radio London he was impressed with Solomon’s first outing for the club: “I was happy that he scored, it will improve his confidence and he brings very good things [to us]. He is a very talented player.”

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Maximilian Kilman and Manor Solomon pounced in the box to seemingly set West Ham on their way to victory but Flemming ensured the points were shared, scoring first from the spot and then from a corner. Burnley had missed numerous chances but found his golden touch at the right time.Burnley started the game with plenty of question marks above their heads after the belated appointment of Nicky Hayen as head coach and a relatively quiet summer in the transfer market. The Belgian, whose previous experience of coaching in the UK came in the Cymru Premier at Haverfordwest, was celebrating his 46th birthday on Sunday and sent his team out intent on marking the occasion. Released from the desperately defensive football of the Scott Parker era, Burnley were aggressive and progressive in equal measure but were undone by a failure to carry out the basics.Like Burnley, relegation had forced the sale of key players, but keeping Nuno Espírito Santo and Jarrod Bowen felt like significant moments. Having Kilman stay on was less exciting for Hammers fans, with the centre-back highly criticised since his £40m transfer from Wolves two years ago and unable to get in the team for much of last season. Thankfully for him, through a mix of Aaron Ramsey’s inept attempt at marking and Bowen’s delivery, he nodded West Ham into an early lead.West Ham enjoyed more of the ball, as they can expect throughout the campaign, but Burnley were the more threatening. They countered at speed and in numbers but lacked a cutting edge as final balls and clinical finishing were absent, as the two teams mustered a solitary shot on target from seven attempts before the break. At the very least, the Clarets suggested they would be watchable after two seasons of Parker-ball.While Burnley were frenetic, West Ham were more composed, looking to pick their moments. Nuno decided to end another anonymous Pablo Felipe display as he tries to find his level in England, sending on James Ward-Prowse, who spent a forgettable six months on loan at Turf Moor in the second half of last season. The plan was to add an extra body into midfield to stop the Burnley counterattacks but the hosts continued to look dangerous as Flemming went close with three headers, the last hitting the inside of the post.There was little ambition to seek a second for West Ham as they sought to protect the lead rather than add to it, failing to have a shot in the first 25 minutes of the second half. Whether it was the most sensible strategy was debatable as they only maintained their advantage through a mix of good luck and poor decision-making from Burnley. Ollie Scarles was in the perfect position on the line to head clear another Flemming effort as the Burnley pressure and frustration grew with equal measure.After few glimpses of quality, West Ham showed some class through Mohamadou Kanté, who made light work of Marcus Edwards on the wing before finding Solomon to smash home from close range, undoing all of Burnley’s good work in one strike of the ball.Scarles opened up the chance for Burnley to get back into the game, scything down Edwards crudely in the area. Flemming, finally, made no mistake, setting up a tense finish that concluded with an eruption when he netted the equaliser.

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Afternoon everyone and welcome to the Maxwel Cornet derby. Burnley and West Ham have a few other things in common too: a famous old name, a claret-and-blue strip, and a recent fall from grace. Today they meet in the Championship for the first time in 14 years.West Ham are widely tipped to finish first in the second tier, while Burnley, according to the Opta prediction machine, are more likely to come sixth. But Burnley are the ones who know how to win automatic promotion: they’ve done it the last four times they’ve been in the Championship. And they seem the more stable of the two clubs, with no battles raging in the boardroom.Then again, West Ham have a manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, who has already marched a team to the top of this arduous division. That was Wolves in 2017-18, and they had spent the previous two seasons languishing in 14th and 15th place.Burnley’s manager, Nicky Hayen, has spent only six months in British football – in the Cymru Premier with Haverfordwest County (though he has won a league title in Belgium, with Club Brugge). As well as getting used to English football, he needs to end a dismal sequence. If Burnley have a bogey team, it’s West Ham, who have won five and drawn three of the past eight meetings between the sides.So the Hammers are the favourites today, but not by much, with Burnley on their home Turf. I’ll be back soon with the teams. In the meantime, do join Rob Smyth for the match that may just keep this one off the back pages.