A man has been charged for wearing a football shirt that appeared to reference the 97 fans who tragically lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster of 1989.
James White, a 33-year-old from Warwickshire, faces charges of displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress.
He has been released on bail and is scheduled to appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court in London on Monday.
During the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police arrested 22 other individuals for various offenses, including assault, affray, drug possession, and drunk and disorderly behavior.
Authorities are also investigating an incident where an object was thrown onto the pitch following Manchester United’s goal in their 2-1 defeat by City. No arrests have been made in connection with this incident thus far.
The Hillsborough disaster occurred in 1989 during a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium, claiming the lives of 97 fans. In 2016, an inquest jury determined that the Liverpool fans were not at fault and that the victims were unlawfully killed. The jury identified police failures, stadium design flaws, and a delayed response by the ambulance service as contributing factors.
Earlier this year, the police forces of South Yorkshire and West Midlands issued apologies for their “profound failings” and the subsequent cover-up of the disaster. In 2021, these police forces agreed to pay damages to over 600 individuals affected by the cover-up.
During the recent match, a photograph circulated on social media showing the back of a man wearing a Manchester United shirt with the number 97 and the words “not enough.” The English Football Association (FA) responded by releasing a statement emphasizing that it will not tolerate any form of abuse related to the Hillsborough tragedy or any other football-related disasters. The FA has previously expressed concern about the increasing use of offensive chants related to the Hillsborough incident.
Ian Byrne, the Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby and a witness to the Hillsborough disaster, condemned any inappropriate reference to the tragedy as “sick.”
