Two supporters have been charged by police with racist chanting after Mido, the Middlesbrough and Egypt forward, was abused by Newcastle United fans during the goalless draw at the Riverside Stadium last Saturday. Middlesbrough police said last night that the two fans, who live in Newcastle and are 49 and 23, had been arrested and would appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

Mido called on the FA to stamp out racist chants after he was targeted by Newcastle supporters for the second year in a row during the Barclays Premier League match. The FA has vowed to take the strongest possible action, which could include life bans, against anyone found guilty of Islamophobic or racist chanting.

“They kept chanting disgusting words, racist words about Islam and, unfortunately, this is the second time that the same fans have done this,” Mido said. “It happened again because after the first time the FA did nothing. I considered this as an invitation from the FA to the Newcastle supporters to repeat such shameful acts. I am asking the FA to take serious action to stop such things. These chants are not directed at me as a person, but it is directed at Islam.”

Mido was abused by Newcastle fans as he warmed up on the touchline in the Tees-Tyne derby and he suffered similar treatment during Newcastle’s previous visit to Middlesbrough, in August last year. The FA investigation into those incidents did not result in any banning orders because of difficulties in identifying culprits.

This time, the FA insists that with the help of both clubs, everything is being done to single out any guilty supporters and that sanctions will be imposed where possible. “We condemn any racist or Islamophobic behaviour and are committed to working with our clubs and the police to stamp it out,” the FA said. “We have an ongoing investigation into the incidents on Saturday and are awaiting reports from Middlesbrough and Newcastle United. As always, the priority is to identify the individuals involved and take the strongest possible action against them. We fully support banning orders for anyone convicted of racist chanting.”

The chanting has been condemned by Piara Powar, the director of Kick It Out, the anti-racism campaign. “It gets quite desperate when the player has to come out and complain about why nothing had been done,” Powar said.

“The FA did not find enough to charge anyone the first time this happened, so now it puts pressure on their sanctioning process. The key change we do have in English football now is there is self-policing; peer pressure which supporters who understand the implications can put on fans who are involved in abuse.”

Newcastle have vowed that the fans will be banned from St James’ Park if they are found guilty.