- Manchester United took on Liverpool in the quarter-final of the FA Cup
- However, the clash was marred by chants of tragedy sung by United supporters
Manchester United supporters were heard directing chants of tragedy at Liverpool fans during their FA Cup tie.
The two arch-rivals faced off at Old Trafford in the quarter-final of the competition, with both desperate to secure a place at Wembley for the semi-finals.
However, the match was marred by songs from United fans heard over the TV broadcast.
The chants of tragedy are said to include calling Liverpool fans ‘always the victims, it’s never your fault’ – a song that refers back to the Hillsborough disaster – while also saying they were saying ‘The Sun was right, murderers’ chanted in relation to the disaster. same tragedy.
It comes after three United supporters were arrested last month following similar chants in connection with the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Premier League match between the teams at Anfield in December.
Manchester United supporters were heard directing chants of tragedy at Liverpool fans during their FA Cup tie
The incident had occurred before the match as they approached the stadium.
The chants came amid a fiery clash in which a flare was hurled from the away end shortly after Mohamed Salah had given Liverpool the lead and ended up in the wheelchair section of United fans.
Singing tragedies is a problem that authorities have repeatedly tried to tackle, with “tough new measures” announced last summer.
Following talks between the sport’s governing bodies and the Crown Prosecution Service, it was agreed that singing sick songs about disasters such as Munich and Hillsborough will be considered a criminal offence.
Anyone found guilty of singing tragedies could face stadium bans and possible prosecution, while sIt was believed that they had been given new guidelines to increase their awareness of the issue and gain more power to deal with guilty fans.
Despite this, it is unfortunately an ongoing problem in the game, with Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Luton in December being marred by similar tragedies.
At the time, Bedfordshire Police confirmed they were in discussions with Luton over the issue, while not long afterwards the FA released a statement ‘strongly condemning’ the offending songs.
The Premier League also released a statement at the time, saying: ‘The Premier League strongly condemns all forms of misuse of football tragedies and was shocked by the chanting heard during Sunday’s match between Luton Town FC and Liverpool FC.
‘We, together with the clubs, the FA and EFL, continue to view the offensive, tragedy-related singing, gestures and display of offensive messages as an unacceptable problem and are committed to working together to address this as a priority.
‘At the start of this season, new tough measures were introduced, meaning that people who have committed violations face a stadium ban and possible criminal prosecution.
‘Abuse from football tragedies causes significant distress to the victims’ families and other football supporters.
‘As part of the package of measures announced at the start of the season, the Premier League will launch education resources to help children understand the pain and impact of negative behaviour, such as tragedy-induced abuse.’
Liverpool supporter Margaret Aspinall, the former chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, also called on fans at the time to speak out if they know who was involved in the singing and highlighted the impact it can have.
“Football brings so much joy to so many people around the world, but there is no need for people to sing the way they do,” she added.
‘The pain it causes is unbearable; we don’t deserve to hear these chants, they hurt as much as losing your child. If you hear that chant, go to a steward and report it, because through the right authorities you can change things. Anything that offends or hurts someone is never acceptable.”
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