A father has issued a plea and police are investigating after a heavy cup filled with coins was thrown by Liverpool fans from the stands at the Etihad Stadium on 22 December.
The ‘horrible’ incident saw the vessel launched from the section of the stands housing the Liverpool FC fans and was thrown down into the assembled Manchester City supporters.
The ‘weighted pint pot’ hit a 15-year-old girl who was watching the Carabao Cup match on 22 December, leaving her ‘scarred for life’.
The young City fan had to receive first aid inside the ground for a head injury, which ended up needing to be glued during treatment.
Her dad is now desperate for anyone with information to come forward to the police so they can press charges against the person(s) who injured his daughter.
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He praised the kindness of many Liverpool fans who have reached out after his posts on social media, and added that he’s been contacted directly by Liverpool FC CEO, Billy Hogan, who “apologised unreservedly on behalf of the club”.
Liverpool fans: Everyone hates us for no reason Also Liverpool fans: Throwing fans into a family section pic.twitter.com/osqJYwPVZu
The local father first went public in response to the following tweet: “Disgusting behaviour from some Liverpool fans tonight at the Etihad.
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“A full plastic pint pot with extra coin ballast thrown with full force from the top tier – hit a 15-year-old child who now needs her head glued. Liverpool fans simply confirming their appalling reputation.”
He responded to it with: “The 15-year-old was my daughter. 500+ football matches in 100+ stadia and I’ve never experienced anything like I did tonight. Horrible. Thanks to the paramedics, police and stewards that helped after the event.”
His longer statement said: “My 15-year-old daughter was hit by a weighted pint pot thrown from the ‘LFC section’ of fans at The Etihad during Manchester City vs Liverpool last Thursday.
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The pot ‘smashed’ on impact, she suffered a head injury and was ‘glued’ at the ground before being released later that evening. The incident occurred about 20 mins in, just after Liverpool’s first equaliser. We think it was probably thrown from block 318 as we were directly below this block.
“We are meeting officials at Manchester City Football Club this week and are asking for any information that could help us identify the thrower. [Greater Manchester Police] took statements, are keen to pursue and will press charges if we can identify the culprit.
“…I am hoping if it’s spread far and wide a memory may be jogged somewhere. There were in excess of 50,000 people present.
The thrown object and the aftermath. (Credit: Twitter)
“If you were at the match…or know someone who was. Was it near you? – Where were they located? – Do you know who it is? – Have you seen any clips on social?
“We have had a call from LFC directly (Billy Hogan) who apologised unreservedly on behalf of the club and I would like to stress they are as committed as we are to rooting this individual out of football and for them to face the consequences of their actions.
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“Please don’t come at me with whataboutery. I completely condemn any incidents of violence from any football fans and any offensive chanting by fans of either side. She is a 15-year-old who was enjoying watching her team with the rest of her family and she is now scarred for life.
“I would like to thank the dozens of Liverpool Football Club fans who have contacted us so far with kind messages of support in finding the perpetrator and also all friends and contacts who have been in touch.
“I am a Dad seeking justice for his injured daughter, that is all. All information gratefully received.”
In a joint statement from Liverpool and City, the clubs said: “Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC and the chairs from our supporter groups have worked together in recent weeks to remind fans of our expectations and both clubs would like to thank the vast majority of fans for their behaviour at last night’s Carabao Cup match at the Etihad Stadium.
“It is however hugely disappointing that there were a number of incidents during last night’s match that are wholly unacceptable. These incidents will be fully investigated, reported to police and the individuals who are found to be responsible will be subject to the sanction process of their respective clubs.
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“Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC are fully committed to working together to eradicate these issues from our fixtures. They have no place in football.”
Greater Manchester Police is investigating a ‘number of incidents’ that occurred during and after the match on 22 December.
🚨| Liverpool and Manchester City have released a joint statement regarding fan behaviour in the Carabao Cup game last night.
Once incident involved an object being thrown from a height and hitting a teenage girl in the home section, causing a cut and requiring treatment. pic.twitter.com/BdNFojULdc
GMP’s match commander, Superintendent Gareth Parkin, said: “We are aware of a number of objects, including coins and a smoke bomb, that were thrown during the match. We will be investigating the incidents and reviewing CCTV from the night.
“Clearly throwing objects in a confined area can be dangerous, and have serious and sometimes devastating consequences – GMP sends it’s thoughts and wishes to the girl who was injured and wish her a speedy recovery.”
GMP outlined the other incidents, which included two men being arrested on suspicion of trying to take a pyrotechnic into the ground and a male arrested for a racially aggravated public order offence. All three will be interviewed at a later date.
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A 53-year-old man was also assaulted after the game at the junction of Ashton New Road and Alan Turing Way. He was treated at the scene and required hospital treatment.
Anyone with information about any of the incidents should contact the police.
Florence and the Machine at Co-op Live Manchester – tickets, setlist, and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Florence and the Machine have visited Manchester before… but this UK tour marks their Co-op Live debut.
The ‘Dog Days Are Over’ because London-based band Florence and the Machine are returning to the music capital of the North – Manchester.
The band has played in our city many times over the years, including staple venues like Manchester Academy and AO Arena, but now they’re taking to the stage of the 23,500 capacity Co-op Live for the first time in their career this month.
With this current run of shows titled Everybody Scream Tour, you can expect this arena gig to be a spectacle or… ‘Spectrum’ (there’s more puns coming).
So, grab the ‘Girl With One Eye’, ‘Jenny of Oldstones’, and the ‘Queen of Peace’, and get ready to ‘Howl’ out all of Florence and the Machine’s bangers.
Florence and the Machine are coming to Co-op Live, Manchester on 20 February / Credit: Autumn de Wilde (Supplied)
Florence and the Machine UK tour dates
Fri 13 Feb – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
Sat 14 Feb – Sheffield, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 16 Feb – London, UK – The O2
Tue 17 Feb – London, UK – The O2
Fri 20 Feb – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 24 Aug – Edinburgh, UK – Royal Highland Showgrounds
Fri 28 Aug – Leeds, UK – Bramham Park
Sun 30 Aug – Reading, UK – Richfield Avenue
Tickets
Anyone wanting to see this stellar act in all their glory when they play their latest arena show in Manchester can find some seats left HERE.
There’s even a handful of premium seating options on offer, where you can ‘Shake It Out’ in style feeling like a ‘King’ HERE.
Setlist
Everybody Scream
Witch Dance
Shake It Out
Seven Devils
Big God
Daffodil
Which Witch
Cosmic Love
Spectrum
Never Let Me Go
Music By Men
buckle
King
The Old Religion
Howl
Heaven Is Here
Sympathy Magic
One of the Greats
Dog Days Are Over
Free
And Love
What are the stage times for Florence and the Machine in Manchester?
UK act Florence and the Machine are playing various arena and festival shows this year / Credit: Autumn de Wilde (Supplied)
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning as much as we want to sing until there’s ‘No Light, No Light’, at least we’ll be tucked up in bed before the early hours.
Anyone attending can expect the doors to open at 6:30pm, with a kick-off time expected to be 7:30pm, and support from self-proclaimed alternative-indie ‘Good Girl’ Paris Paloma.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Featured Images – Press shots (supplied via Autumn de Wilde)
News
Manchester’s tiny new tiramisu hatch Layr speaks out after receiving influx of ‘hostile’ hate messages
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s tiny new tiramisu hatch has spoken out after receiving a recent influx of ‘hostile’ hate messages and reviews.
Having only opened its doors – or should we say, shutters – at the end of last month (29 January) over in Acoats, Layr is one of Manchester’s newest independent businesses that is selling purely tiramisu, with a menu of three different flavours, each served in individually portioned pots.
Here you can expect classic tiramisu where sponge is soaked in espresso, then layered with vanilla marscapone and cocoa dust.
These freshly-made, alcohol-free and Halal desserts have gone down an absolute treat with residents and visitors to the city alike since opening, but unfortunately, it hasn’t been completely smooth sailing for founder Moona who has admitted over the weekend that they have been receiving a number of ‘hostile’ hate comments and reviews that don’t reflect the service they are providing.
The statement comes after the business teamed up with The Couture Club and influencer Farron Clark for a Valentine’s collaboration over the weekend.
Layr said in its Instagram statement: “As a small independent business, we can’t stay silent when things aren’t right. It’s hard to share, but it has to be said.
“With a heavy heart, we need to address something that’s been happening behind the scenes. Over the past few days, we’ve noticed a pattern that’s been difficult to process. Hostile hate-messages, comments, and reviews. A number of one-star reviews have appeared that don’t feel reflective of real customer experiences… with some of our genuine customer photos have been screenshotted and reposted elsewhere.
Layr has spoken out after receiving an influx of ‘hostile’ hate messages / Credit: The Manc Group
“As a small, new independent business, we take all feedback on board. However instances that appear not to be genuine are disheartening to see.”
They then shared a couple of screenshot images of reviews and comments they were referring to, before adding that: “The industry is already a challenge without these instances. We all need each other’s support and I hope we all succeed in what we set out to achieve.”
The statement concluded: “Let’s spread love… not hate.”
Daisy Jackson -
28th December 2022 
