da brwin： Songs referencing the Hillsborough disaster have no place at Old Trafford, and similar behaviour from their rivals in the past is no excuse
da betsul： It was one of the greatest FA Cup ties of all time, a truly memorable match between the most successful and best-supported teams in English football. And it was a moment to savour for Manchester United, a redemption story for two forgotten figures in Antony and Amad Diallo and an occasion when Erik ten Hag proved there is still life in his team.
And yet, the incredible 4-3 victory over Liverpool threatens to be tarnished by the reprehensible behaviour of a number of United fans who engaged in 'tragedy chanting'. Several songs could be heard during the game referencing the Hillsborough disaster, in which 97 Liverpool fans died at an FA Cup semi-final in 1989, as well as the Heysel disaster, in which 39 Juventus supporters died during the 1985 European Cup final against Liverpool.
Among the many reports of United's stirring comeback against Jurgen Klopp's side in the English media on Monday morning was the depressing tale of an individual being arrested by Greater Manchester Police for tragedy chanting. Meanwhile, a video was circulating on social media of an adult man clearly referencing the tragedies with obscene gestures.
The chanting naturally triggers Liverpool fans and bring back harrowing memories of those awful tragedies. But they should also shame United supporters, who are projecting an awful image of hate after what should have been a memorable occasion.
GettyRise above the pettiness
Tragedy chanting is not new and Sunday was far from the first incident of it. Sections of Liverpool's support have been guilty of it too, referencing the Munich air disaster in which eight United players were killed in 1958. Even established supporters clubs have been caught up in it, such as the Spirit of Shankly pressure group, who had to apologise after fans were filmed chanting 'Munich' during an event in 2009.
Whenever United fans are called out on social media for tragedy chanting, they tend to respond by giving examples of Munich chants, and what should be a serious discussion tends to descend into a childish tit-for-tat debate. It is time both sets of supporters rose above whatever has been chanted in the past and set a positive example for the next generation.
AdvertisementGetty 'Hatred was always there'
"When I started going to the games against United, you'd hear the horrible songs that were sung about Munich and [the late Liverpool manager Bill] Shankly. Those songs, that animosity, that hatred was always there," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said in the book by Phil McNulty and Jim White.
Gary Neville also told the authors: "It just felt that my whole childhood was ruined by Liverpool, consumed by Liverpool. Liverpool won everything. You become quite bitter. You'd have thoughts which are nasty and beyond what you should have."
Mutual disdain underpins every great footballing rivalry, from United-Liverpool to River Plate-Boca Juniors and Barcelona-Real Madrid. But when football becomes the vehicle to start mocking people who have died in tragic circumstances, it is time to take a long, hard look at yourself.
GettyNo way to honour Munich
And using the fact that some Liverpool fans have mocked the Munich disaster in the past as a justification for singing about Hillsborough is petty in the extreme, and no way to honour the victims of that terrible accident, which ripped the soul out of the greatest English football team of the day.
United fans hold memorial services outside Old Trafford to mark each anniversary of the Munich disaster, while hundreds of supporters fly over to Germany annually for a service at the site of the crash. GOAL attended the service at Old Trafford this year and it was touching to see fans, senior club figures and academy players turn out to remember the victims.
Getty Race to the bottom
Liverpool have honoured the victims of the Hillsborough tragedy each year at Anfield with spine-tingling tributes, while the families affected by the disaster have fought a 35-year battle for justice for the victims, taking on the British establishment, including the police and the government.
The city of Liverpool, including Everton fans, has adopted a long-standing boycott of newspaper, which made false and damaging allegations about fan behaviour on the day of the disaster. And yet some United fans decided to sing on Sunday: 'The Sun were right, you're murderers'.
The Hillsborough campaigners were also referenced in another reprehensible chant on Sunday which goes: 'Always the victims, it's never your fault'. United fans are right to be outraged when they hear mocking of the Munich air disaster, but they must resist engaging in a race to the bottom of morals.
Many supporters were disgusted when a fan attended the 2023 FA Cup final wearing a shirt mocking the Hillsborough tragedy and United acted swiftly to ban him from matches. But Sunday's chants show that there are many more who are willing to stoop to the same level in the name of rivalry.