American man among eight arrested for tragedy chants during Man Utd vs Liverpool
Eight people have been detained following reports of tragedy chanting at Sunday’s Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield.
Among those arrested was a 28-year-old man from Hendersonville, Tennessee, USA, alongside a 46-year-old man from Church Warsop, Nottinghamshire.
The arrests were made under Section 5 of the Public Order Act relating to tragedy chanting during the fixture on 5 January.
The two men were taken into custody, while six others were asked to attend voluntary interviews under caution on suspicion of the same offence.
Those asked to attend voluntary interviews included a 42-year-old man from Hale and a 30-year-old man from Stockport.
A 59-year-old man from Congleton and a 21-year-old man from Bala, Wales, were also requested to attend.
Two Manchester residents – a 50-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman – completed the list of those asked to attend interviews under caution.
All individuals were suspected of violating Section 5 of the Public Order Act in relation to tragedy chanting at the match.
Chief Inspector Lisa Ledder of Merseyside Police said: “Football fans who chant about tragedies cause huge distress to those families and people directly affected.”
“The tragic loss of life is not a subject for tribal point scoring, and this behaviour has absolutely no place in football,” she added.
She emphasised that police would continue to work with clubs to identify and bring perpetrators to justice, regardless of team affiliation.
“I hope the arrests of these individuals sends a clear message and acts as a deterrent to others that you risk getting a criminal record and ending up in custody if you choose to engage in this despicable behaviour,” she stated.
Tragedy chanting at matches between these clubs has historically referenced two devastating events in football history.
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The Hillsborough disaster in 1989 saw 97 Liverpool fans lose their lives in a fatal crowd crush.
The Munich Air Disaster of 1958 claimed 22 lives, including eight Manchester United players.
The match itself, which took place at Anfield, ended in a 2-2 draw.
Both clubs have previously announced their commitment to tackling tragedy-related abuse, with their charitable foundations working together on an education programme about the impact of these historical tragedies.