Tomorrow brings another edition of the greatest rivalry in English football, Manchester United vs Liverpool. Unfortunately, recent matches in this serious have seen “tragedy chanting,” which, simply put, is the ugliest side of the beautiful game.
Some Liverpool supporters have been taunting United fans by singing songs about the 1958 Munich Air Disaster in recent years. Meanwhile some United fans have harassed Liverpool supporters by chanting about the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster and the 1985 Heysel Disaster.
Manchester United at Liverpool FYIs
Kickoff: Sun March 5, Anfield, 4:30pm
Team News: Man United Liverpool
Starting XI Predictions: Man United Liverpool
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Xherdan Shaqiri’s ideas about how to fix Liverpool: go here
Google Result Probability: Liverpool win 40% Draw 26% Man United win 34%
PL Form: Man United WWDWL Liverpool WDWWL
PL Standing: Man United 3rd, 39 pts Liverpool 6th, 39 pts
While both sets of supporters have been publicly condemned by their respective clubs for invoking tragedies to troll rival fans, this deplorable acts still continue.
Now ahead of the Super Sunday clash tomorrow, both managers, Manchester United’s Erik ten Hag and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, urged their bases to cease this behavior
Ten Hag said, as a part of a joint statement:
“The rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool is one of the greatest in world football. We all love the passion of the fans when our teams meet, but there are lines that should not be crossed.
“It is unacceptable to use the loss of life, in relation to any tragedy, to score points, and it is time for it to stop.
“Those responsible tarnish not only the reputation of our clubs but also, importantly, the reputation of themselves, the fans, and our great cities.
“On behalf of myself, our players, and our staff, we ask our fans to focus on supporting the team on Sunday, and representing our club in the right way.”
Klopp said in his side:
“One of the main reasons why the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United is so special is that it is so intense and no one should ever want to change this.
“But at the same time when the rivalry becomes too intense it can go to places that are not good for anyone and we do not need this. We do want the noise, we do want the occasion to be partisan and we do want the atmosphere to be electric.
“What we do not want is anything that goes beyond this and this applies especially to the kind of chants that have no place in football. If we can keep the passion and lose the poison it will be so much better for everyone.”
The Hillsborough Disaster resulted in the deaths of 97 Liverpool supporters who attended an FA Cup semifinal against Nottingham Forest, at Sheffield Wednesday Stadium, on April 15, 1989.
Due to gross negligence in crowd control, they were crushed to death by a stampede of people streaming into their seating section.
The Munich Air Disaster occurred on Feb. 6, 1985 when the team’s plane crashed while trying to take off from a snowy runway in Bavaria. 23 people died including eight members of United’s squad, who were returning from a European Cup match.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.