Sport

Chester FC condemns ‘appalling’ Lucy Letby chant during Hereford match

Tragedy chanting continues to be a problem throughout the football pyramid.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 8th September 2023

Non-league side Chester FC have condemned and apologised for a series of “appalling” football chants related to child serial killer Lucy Letby during a match earlier this week.

Chester were playing Hereford in a National League North fixture on Tuesday, 5 August when a number of fans were heard and reported for the chant referencing Letby, who was convicted for her crimes in August after being found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others.

The 33-year-old — who was working at a neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital at the time and is originally from Hereford — was sentenced to 14 whole-life orders, meaning she will die in prison.

The club are now said to be looking into CCTV footage to identify the individuals responsible and take “appropriate action”.

Issuing a statement following the horrific behaviour, Chester FC’s vice chairman, Jim Green, said: “The club condemns the appalling chant heard during our match with Hereford.

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“We are ashamed to be associated with anyone responsible for the chant. It is reprehensible behaviour and demonstrates a deeply concerning lack of compassion, understanding and decency.

“The impact of Lucy Letby’s horrifying crimes continues to be felt throughout our community and the collective thoughts of the football club, our staff and supporters remain with the families and loved ones of the babies.”

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This comes just a couple of months on from the FA making a fresh push to crack down on tragedy chanting as part of their new ‘Love Football. Protect the Game’ campaign.

New measures include a technical area code of conduct to require managers, coaches and other club staff members to behave in a responsible manner, increased financial penalties for serious and repeat offenders, as well as academy scholars to undertake refereeing courses to improve players’ education into officiating.

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Featured Image — Chester FC/Police handout

Sport

Rúben Amorim sheds light on Manchester City links before accepting Man United manager’s job

Danny Jones Danny Jones Amorim nearly went to Manchester City before accepting Man United manager job

Newly named Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim has confessed that he could have very well ended up at Man City instead of the Theatre of Dreams in a recent interview.

The Portuguese head coach, who is set to take over from United legend and interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy who stood in following Erik ten Hag’s sacking last month, has been admired by many clubs around Europe – most notably the higher-ups at the City Football Group (CFG).

With Pep Guardiola’s contract set to run out next summer and still no indication that he will be signing a new deal, CFG has been looking around for a potential successor and given his impressive start to life as a manager, Amorim has been considered as a strong candidate for a while.

Moreover, since his soon-to-be previous club’s sporting director Hugo Viana is set to replace Txiki Begiristain at City come the end of the season, it was thought Amorim was even more likely to follow suit and now the 39-year-old has admitted that it was an option he considered at point.

Speaking to inews.co.uk in the pre-match press conference ahead of his penultimate game in charge of Sporting as they rather fittingly prepare to face Man City in the Champions League, the former midfielder clarified that while the possibility had occurred to him, ultimately, his decision was clear.

“Obviously, it’s something which crossed my mind but I never had any doubts. My decision has been made, that’s the club I want to work for, the context I want to be in, and where I want to continue my career […] When I decided on the club, I didn’t want anything else.

“It is a decision I thought about but was not undecided about it. I wanted Manchester United and that’s what I did.” That being said, it’s no secret that interest from the likes of Liverpool, West Ham and obviously City has been expressed in recent seasons.

Viana – the 41-year-old sporting director and fellow former Portuguese international with over 300 club appearances – was described as City’s “top target” heading into the New Year by Guardiola himself, insisting that both he and Amorim had impressed him on a coaching and recruitment level.

As seen above, he also reiterated the conviction behind choosing the Red half of the city in a subsequent chat with TNT Sports. You can see his full interview, in which he confesses he “will be friends until the end” but that both their focuses will be to simply improve their respective teams, down below:

Amorim wished his friend nothing but the best at Man City but insists he must follow his ‘own path’.

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Amorim’s record in Europe is one of the marks that has been held against his record in weighing up whether he’s the right appointment for Man United but, nevertheless, he takes on who he calls “the best coach and team in the world” on Wednesday night.

This is Man City and Sporting’s first meeting since 2022 when Guardiola‘s last visit to Lisbon’s José Alvalade Stadium saw his side deliver a 5-0 thrashing over Leões and Amorim was two years into the job.

It will also be his final game at the club’s home ground before his very last game in charge of the Liga Portugal title holders against his former employers, SC Braga, ironically, on Sunday. His first official day in charge of Man United will be Monday, 11 November.

Safe to say if he manages to get a result against Pep and the current Premier League champions it will not only put him in good stead with the Old Trafford faithful but ramp up expectations right from the off. All eyes will be on this game and many will no doubt already be questioning if he chose the right colour.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Agencia LUSA (via WikiCommons)/TNT Sports (via YouTube)

Sport

Man United broadcaster FlexUTD responds after suffering ‘awful’ racist abuse on camera

Danny Jones Danny Jones FlexUTD responds after racist abuse by woman in post-match video Man United

Manchester United content creator, YouTuber and digital presenter, FlexUTD, has shared a disappointed but defiant response following a racist incident captured during a video after the game this weekend.

Flex – real name Flex Alexander – is a familiar face among Man United fans and a well-known personality across the online English football culture, having previously worked with another popular fan channel in The United Stand before founding his own brand, United View.

Whilst recording his regular post-match analysis outside Old Trafford after the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday, the social media influencer was interrupted by a woman and fellow United supporter.

After seemingly giving someone a quick shout-out, she then proceeds to wander out of frame before appearing to utter a racial slur off-camera in the form of an offensive twist on the fan base’s famous anti-Glazer chant.

racist woman on man united fan cam
racist abuse united view
Credit: United View (via YouTube)

In the video shared to the official YouTube channel, he is visibly stunned by the racist outburst and members of the crew behind the camera can also be heard asking, “Did you just see what I think you said?”, adding “There’s always one or two.”

The identity of the female United fan is still unknown and although her face remains blurred for legal reasons, Flex himself did come out on social media to ask people to “find this woman” in order for the club to identify her and the authorities to punish her accordingly.

Still taken aback by the racial slur, Flex simply goes on to describe the off-hand abuse as “crazy” before insisting that the moment will be staying the full edit so as not to let the incident go unnoticed.

Ever since the video was released, other Reds, football fans and content creators alike have been sharing their support online.

One person wrote, “It’s 2024 and we’re still seeing people saying racist things and they think they can get away with it. Hope Flex gets justice for this.”, while another tagged the club and added: “Can’t be having these type of fans enter the stadium.”

Flex has since responded online in a separate video, thanking people for their heartfelt messages, but despite assuring that he has a “thick skin”, he quite rightly went on to add that people of colour shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of intolerable behaviour and he is simply “tired”.

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Retired striker and former United coach Benni McCarthy also reached out online to offer some kind words, writing: “Hi mate, hope you [are] ok. That was absolutely unnecessary and you shouldn’t have to deal with such behaviour. Stay strong bro and behind you all the way.”

The club themselves are yet to issue a statement regarding the incident but with both current players and former staff responding, it likely won’t be long before the individual is identified and issued with a ban. United had to deal with similar incidents regarding racism and homophobia last season.

It goes without saying that we condemn discrimination in all its forms; our thoughts go out to Flex and everyone else affected by the incident and hope the incident is dealt with swiftly. The beautiful game is for everyone and there’s no room for racism in any walk of life. #KickItOut.

You can watch Flex’s full video addressing the situation, in which he urged people to “stay strong, keep fighting” and “stick together”, down below:

FlexUTD’s full response following the appalling racist incident on 4/11/2024.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — United We Stand (via YouTube)/FlexUTD (via X)

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