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Manchester United and Liverpool have come together to try and stamp out the odious habit of tragedy chanting that occasionally rears its ugly head at North-West derby games.
The two clubs are not only the two most successful in England but also share the horrific experience of their club living through a massive tragedy.
The Munich Air disaster in 1958 is still imprinted massively in the United psyche, as could be seen in recent commemorations to the event last month.
This was when a plane carrying the Man United squad back from a European tie in Belgrade, failed to take off and crashed in horrendous conditions, killing eight players and 15 more people.
Liverpool themselves suffered a massive human tragedy when 97 of their supporters were crushed to death as far too many fans had been let into their end during an FA Cup semi-final versus Nottingham Forest. This is known as the Hillsborough disaster, as it took place at Sheffield Wednesday’s ground who were hosting the semi-final as a neutral venue.
Despite the fact both sides should understand such serious events, a small minority of fans on both sides are guilty of mocking the other’s suffering.
It even occurred most recently in United’s pulsating FA Cup win over their old rivals earlier this month. An individual was arrested by the Greater Manchester Police after the game for their involvement in tragedy chanting and the Football Association rightfully condemned the events.
Consequently, the two clubs have come together before the next fixture which sees United welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford again, this time in a Premier League match on the 7th of April.
The Mirror report that “the foundations of both clubs have come together to deliver an education programme on the impact of tragedy chanting”.
“Former United defender Wes Brown and ex-Liverpool skipper Phil Thompson – who won 12 league titles and five European Cups between them – were involved first-hand in the initiative”.
“The pair spoke with students about the effect the Munich and Hillsborough disasters had on the two clubs, their supporters and the cities, to give them a greater understanding of their impact”.
“The United and Liverpool foundations have developed the programme in partnership with the Premier League, which has taken a hard line against tragedy chanting by fans”.
John Shiels, CEO of Manchester United Foundation, said: “It’s unacceptable to use the loss of life, in relation to any tragedy, to score points and it’s time for it to stop”.
“We are proud to come together with the LFC Foundation as we believe education will break the generational cycle on this issue and help thousands of young people across this region understand the impact tragedy-related abuse has”.
Mockery and banter are a key part of the football fan experience and nobody would seriously suggest stopping it. However, it crosses a human line when it descends to mocking the loss of life and in reality, much more important issues than football.
Hopefully the two giant clubs can continue to work together to try and put an end to the horrific scenes once and for all.
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