Chelsea are to appoint their own undercover investigator to target racists, ticket touts and fraudsters.

The “investigative intelligence researcher” will report to Chelsea’s head of security and look into all types of discrimination and anti-social behaviour, including abuse on social media.

The post may suit a former police detective or someone involved in the intelligence services, as it requires experience of analysing CCTV evidence and producing reports to be used in legal cases.

Intriguingly, the investigator will also be expected to tap into databases such as the Clue system, which the insurance industry uses to track people’s claims and losses.

It marks a new phase of action by the club, which has already taken a hard line against touts and has launched a series of