Police charge Burnley fan, 44, arrested for tragedy chanting after he was spotted ‘mocking the Munich air disaster with sick plane gestures’ during draw with Man United at Old Trafford

A Burnley supporter has been charged by police for singing tragedies during Saturday’s match against Manchester United.

Images were posted on social media after Burnley’s 1-1 draw with Man United on Saturday.

Clarets supporters celebrated Zeki Amdouni’s equalizer from the penalty spot in the 87th minute at Old Trafford.

A supporter was seen making airplane gestures with his arms towards Man United fans and appearing to say the word ‘Munich’.

The gesture appears to refer to the 1958 Munich air disaster, which killed 23 people on their way home from a European match, including many members of the Man United team nicknamed ‘Busby Babes’.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed to Mail Sport that Nathan Rawlinson has been charged after he was arrested at Old Trafford on Saturday.

“We can confirm that we have charged Nathan Rawlinson (25/08/1979) of Bacup, Lancashire under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 and he has since been released on bail,” a statement from Greater Manchester Police said.

‘These charges come after our Specialist Football Operational Investigation Team arrested a man in the away section of the Old Trafford crowd who was singing a tragedy towards the end of the match between Manchester United and Burnley yesterday (Saturday 27 April 2024). .

“As we recently enforced, continued incidents of singing tragedies, by anyone, will not be tolerated and will be dealt with vigorously.

‘We understand the interest this case will have generated, but it is imperative that the suspect receives a fair trial so members of the public should refrain from online conversations at least until the proceedings have been completed.

“Previously distributed videos should be removed.”

Burnley issued a statement on Saturday evening condemning the ‘offensive images’, with the club vowing to work with Man United and the police to identify and prosecute the fans involved.

“We are aware of offensive images currently circulating on social media from the end of the match at Old Trafford,” a Burnley statement read.

“Tragedy-related gestures and chants are completely unacceptable and Burnley Football Club takes a zero-tolerance approach.

‘We will continue to work with Greater Manchester Police, Lancashire Police and Manchester United to help identify and prosecute those responsible.’

Two supporters have been arrested on suspicion of singing tragedies during the FA Cup match between Man United and Liverpool at Old Trafford in March.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed a man was arrested after United fans were heard chanting ‘always the victims, it’s never your fault’, ‘The Sun was right – you are murderers’.

An FA spokesperson said: ‘We strongly condemn all offensive, insulting and discriminatory chanting in football stadiums and we are committed to eradicating this behaviour.

“It is completely unacceptable and could have a lasting and damaging impact on people and communities within our game. It has to stop, and we support every club and their fans who are trying to eradicate this from the terraces.”

Meanwhile, three United supporters were arrested earlier this year after chants about Hillsborough when the two sides met at Anfield in December.

Last month, Mail Sport revealed that three Arsenal supporters who are part of the Ashburton Army have each been handed three-year football bans for singing tragedies relating to the Hillsborough disaster during the Gunners FA Cup third round defeat to Liverpool in January.

Football authorities and police have tried to tackle the singing of tragedies on a large scale and last June Premier League teams met to agree new measures to tackle the increase in the singing of tragedies during matches.

Man United and Liverpool have since joined forces to educate schoolchildren about the impact of the Munich and Hillsborough disasters. Managers Erik ten Hag and Jurgen Klopp called for an end to the tragedies ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford earlier this month.

The incidents during March’s FA Cup match were the latest example of fans mocking opponents by mocking major disasters such as Hillsborough, Heysel, Munich and the Bradford Fire.

Luton fans were heard chanting ‘always the victims, it’s never your fault’ during a match at Kenilworth Road in November last year. Liverpool felt compelled to contact the club after it failed to immediately issue a statement condemning them.

Luton later said it was ‘saddened’ by the incident and threatened to ban anyone involved.

Other chants refer to individual tragedies, such as the death of striker Emiliano Sala in a plane crash, or private losses of players, managers or fans – even up to the deaths of children such as Sunderland cancer victim Bradley Lowery.

In January, police arrested two Millwall supporters after they appeared to mock the death of former Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a 2018 plane crash by making helicopter gestures.

Two months later, a Manchester City supporter was seen making an airplane gesture towards visiting United fans, an apparent reference to the Munich plane crash during the Manchester derby.

New guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service means singing about tragedies can be classified as a criminal offense under the Public Order Act 1986, which bans behavior in public that deliberately causes ‘alarm or distress’.

Football clubs and officials are backing the crackdown by issuing stadium bans and bans on fans caught singing tragedies, and passing on CCTV footage to police.