Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United condemn unacceptable chants from fans mocking the Hillsborough Disaster during loss to Liverpool
According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United have reacted strongly to claims of chants from fans mocking the 1989 Hillsborough disaster that haunted Liverpool during their 4-0 loss at Anfield in the Premier League.
The 1989 Hillsborough disaster remains etched as a tragic incident from the Merseyside club’s past, where mismanagement by the concerned policing authorities claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool fans. It remains a dark chapter in football’s history books.
After video footage of a section of United fans taunting Reds supporters over this incident emerged, the Manchester side reacted and issued a message of solidarity with their arch-rivals, via a club spokesperson.
“Manchester United stands in solidarity with Liverpool FC and its fans in remembering the victims of the Hillsborough Disaster.”
The Old Trafford outfit’s supporters did not have much to chant about for most of the game, given that their team were down by a goal in the opening five minutes of the match and would then go on to concede three more goals by the end of the final whistle. Two goals in each half completely killed the game for Ralf Rangnick’s men despite a good 20 minutes the team enjoyed at the start of the second forty-five minutes.
“Completely unacceptable”
It is a particularly shameful display from a section of Red Devils fans, as the offensive chants came after a heartwarming show of support from Liverpool supporters who respected a minute’s support of applause for rival player Cristiano Ronaldo, who missed the fixture following the death of his newborn baby boy.
Anfield also sang their anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ to show solidarity with the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus superstar. A spokesperson representing United strongly condemned the actions of their fans, saying that it was unacceptable and they would work with their supporters’ groups to educate them on the issue.
“‘Offensive chants about the tragedy are completely unacceptable and we will work with our supporters’ groups to educate fans on the issue.”
Football showed both its sides at Anfield during the derby between United and Liverpool. While it offered a wonderful show of unity by fans to show support to Ronaldo, it also reared its ugly head by displaying a show of vile chants aimed at mocking a disaster.
It is never okay to attack someone for a horrible tragedy in their past, let alone direct abusive and offensive chants at a club for an incident that left many people with scars that are yet to heal. United are right to condemn the actions of their section of fans, and perhaps more can be done by looking to identify these supporters and take action against them.
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This incident comes only days after Manchester City were forced to apologise for their supporters’ behaviour during their FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool after their fans sang during a minute’s silence to observe the Hillsborough disaster. A decade back, Chelsea fans were accused of the same thing- and it is a shame to see that some fans continue that shameful trend even in 2022.
Evidently, this seems to be a toxic trend followed by a few sections of fans that need addressing. As United stated, these supporters need to be educated about the gravity of the situation so that such unsavoury incidents are not repeated in the future. It is an embarrassing look for the club and reflects very poorly on our fans.
