Tom Jones' song "Delilah" has been axed from Welsh rugby games at Cardiff's Principality Stadium where fans have sung the song for years, leaving some divided over the change.
"Delilah will not feature on the playlist for choirs for rugby internationals at Principality Stadium," a stadium spokesperson said.
"The WRU condemns domestic violence of any kind. We have previously sought advice from subject matter experts on the issue of censoring the song and we are respectfully aware that it is problematic and upsetting to some supporters because of its subject matter," they added.
The spokesperson also labeled the song as "problematic."
The 1968 hit performed by the Welsh singer remains controversial for lyrics focusing on a woman who was murdered by her jealous partner, and Welsh police say concerns over domestic abuse, particularly at a time when an alarming number of women are being killed by their partners, cannot be ignored, the BBC reported.
The Welsh Rugby Union already restricted the song in 2015 by removing it from halftime as well as asking choirs to refrain from performing the song before and during international games.
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Despite the uproar, many fans and local hotspots refuse to be silent, with one local pub called Old Arcade vowing to play the song "loud" and "on a loop" amid the controversy.
"Video from @RuaidhriOC showing Delilah being sung loud and proud around the Cardiff streets. Stick the woke meddling in your pipe and smoke it!" U.K. media personality Adam Brooks tweeted with a video of a crowd singing the song in protest on Saturday.
Fans also belted out the song before and during Wales' Six Nations match against Ireland and was sung by a crowd outside the stadium before the match began.
Some are voicing support for the decision to ban the song, however.
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"There’s been a lot of misplaced criticism of this decision to stop singing ‘Delilah.’ The song depicts the murder of a woman by a jealous partner For context, approx 2 women a week are murdered by a partner or ex-partner It’s time to sing something else," Chief Constable Dr. Richard Lewis of Wales' Heddlu Police.
Controversy over the song comes as allegations of sexism swirl around the rugby union, forcing the Welsh Rugby Union Chief Executive Steve Phillips after a former female employee complained the WRU facilitated a "toxic" work culture for women and minority groups.
