The FA has issued a statement following reports of “tragedy chanting” during the Manchester United and Liverpool’s match yesterday.
In what football fans, pundits, and neutrals alike are calling one of the most “thrilling” games to have happened in recent memory, Manchester United clinched a last-minute 4-3 win over fierce local rivals Liverpool in the quarter finals of the FA Cup yesterday afternoon (17 March) – with surprise match-winner Amad Diallo scoring a late goal in the 120th minute.
The Reds’ midfielder Scott McTominay opened the scoring in the 10th minute, with Liverpool goals then following from Alexis Mac Allister and superstar striker Mo Salah just before half-time.
In the second half, another goal came for United after Antony found the back of the net in the 87th minute to take the match to extra time, and then the next 30-minutes saw Liverpool youngster Harvey Elliott and Manchester‘s-own Marcus Rashford get themselves on the score sheet in pretty quick succession to take the tie to 3-3.
With the time on the clock ticking down, and a place in the semi FA Cup semi finals within touching distance for both clubs, Reds’ winger Amad fired the ball into the bottom right-hand corner to claim not only a win for his team, but also what was only his second goal in a United shirt.
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AN INCREDIBLE END TO ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE DERBY GAMES YOU WILL HAVE EVER SEEN.
United fans were, understandably, elated with the win over the team that has historically, and arguably continues to be, their biggest rivals.
But sadly, it appears that some fans took this excitement a little too far.
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It has been widely-reported on by numerous media outlets that, during the second half of United’s extra time win, a significant number of fans in the Stretford End of Old Trafford were heard chanting ‘murderers’, quickly followed by ‘always the victims’, both in reference to the Hillsborough Disaster – with the singing said to be “audible” to the live television audience.
Other chants of ‘The Sun were right’ were also reported, and this has subsequently led to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) launching an investigation, making an arrest in connection with “tragedy chanting”, and issuing a statement condemning the incident.
FA issues statement after reports of ‘tragedy chanting’ during Man United’s FA Cup win over Liverpool / Credit: Manchester United (via Facebook)
The FA has also since released a statement following the reports, and has pledged to support GMP with ongoing investigations in whichever ways they can.
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GMP’s statement provided by a spokesperson reads: “Incidents of tragedy chanting will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.
“We are all familiar with fans taunting their opponents at football matches, but this is generally done in good humour and without offence. The incidents today crossed the line of what is acceptable, and we will work closely with both clubs to identify anyone responsible for committing offences during the event.”
The FA’s statement, which was shared to social media yesterday evening, also reads in full: “We are aware of the reported tragedy chanting during today’s FA Cup fixture between Manchester United and Liverpool, and we will be liaising with and supporting Greater Manchester Police.
“We strongly condemn any offensive, abusive and discriminatory chants in football stadiums, and we are determined to stamp this behaviour out.
“It is entirely unacceptable and can have a lasting and damaging impact on people and communities within our game.
The hearing over Manchester City’s 115 FFP charges will officially start next week
Danny Jones
After more than a year of speculation as to when proceedings will finally start, it has been confirmed that the hearing regarding Manchester City and their 115 FFP charges is set to begin next week.
Man City were first slapped with the laundry list of alleged breaches of FFP (financial fair play) and failure to comply with Premier League rules on profit and sustainability (PSR) back in February 2023, but little movement on the case has been reported since then.
In that time, they also won the coveted Treble and their record-breaking fourth league title in a row; meanwhile, the club have continued to deny all claims of rule-breaking.
However, it has now been revealed that City‘s hearing will now kick off on Monday, 16 September.
BREAKING: The hearing over Manchester City's 115 charges will start on Monday 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9ujOCryVMF
As explained in various reports, given the extended nature of the claims made against the Manchester side, it is estimated that the case could run on for up to two months if not longer.
Furthermore, it is thought a decision isn’t expected to arrive until spring 2025 – again, this is simply due to the number of charges brought up over the best part of a decade.
In case you need a refresher, the allegations levelled at Man City date back to 2009 and concern a supposed nine years of financial irregularities, as well as subverting UEFA FFP rules.
Some of the accusations made against them also include failing to cooperate with the European football body and the Premier League, as well as offering ‘secret contracts’ so as to pay one particular manager a larger sum than what they recorded in their financial statements.
The final verdict, whenever it is reached, will be handed down by an independent commission and City will still be able to make an official appeal.
It goes without saying that were they to be found guilty, it would be the biggest financial scandal in English football history and could be seismic for the future of money in the sport and regulations surrounding ownership, which have already grown tighter following the charges being issued.
And in case you needed a more detailed refresher on what exactly they are being tried for and what the possibilities are regarding punishment if found guilty, here’s a quick rundown:
Featured Images — Arne Müseler (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Billy Harris’ sensational Davis Cup debut helps secure GB’s opening win in Manchester
Danny Jones
Great Britain grabbed their first win in the opening game of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals group stage this week with a hard-fought day against Finland which featured a truly stunning debut from would-be dark horse Billy Harris.
‘The World Cup of Tennis’ returned to Manchester’s AO Arena on Tuesday for the next stage of the tournament, with Britain getting their Finals group games underway this past Wednesday and starting as they mean to go on.
It may have been too early to throw in Jack Draper – who despite being one of their most promising squad members is still pretty raw from his draining semi-final defeat in the US Open last week – but, thankfully, experienced Dan Evans got the ball rolling and it became a case of building on the advantage.
That being said, you could tell from the early points of Evans’ opener against world no. 703 Eero Vasa that it was going to be a long day for the home team, as the sets felt drawn out right from the off.
Birmingham’s finest was taken to a tense tie-break in the first set of the day but, tough as always, he weathered the early test and emerged with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over the Finnish underdog who looked to be playing well above form.
Evans’ stamina and resilience were a big factor in their dominant display in the qualifiers last September too, but energy levels can only take you so far and after a tiring first match, Finland piled on the pressure in the doubles fixture where he and partner Neal Skupski just couldn’t quite survive two tie-break sets.
The 34-year-old duo were truly put to the test but, fortunately, the game was already a bit of a dead rubber, as the real star of the show came in the form of surprising debutant Billy Harris from Nottingham, who impressed everyone with his emphatic performance against in the other singles fixture beforehand.
Harris only earned his first ATP Tour win last year and is admittedly a bit of a latecomer to the party, but his journey is an inspiring one: working hard over the last 12 months and simply continuing to push so as to now earn his stripes with a Wimbledon debut earlier this year as well.
At 29, he’s at a crucial point in his prime years as an athlete, so it was important that he did his utmost to leave his mark on the GB squad at his first Davis Cup, and he tackled that objective head-on.
Notching a comprehensive 6-4 7-6 (7-4) win against Otto Virtanen – who is no slouch in this particular tournament – team captain Leon Smith said of the showing: “I’m thrilled for Billy – I think that’s one of the best debuts you’ll have seen. It was that good.”
Even on an early afternoon mid-working week, the second day of this year’s Davis Cup managed to attract nearly 6,500 fans to the AO Arena (roughly 90% capacity), which just goes to show how much of an appetite there is for the sport here in Manchester.
The opening rounds of the competition’s return to the city after a whopping three decades late last year saw its biggest overall attendance ever in this country and it’s clear Great Britain look very at home playing here.
Our boys take on Argentina in the next round this Friday, 13 September, where hopefully the likes of Draper can come back into the fold and give the likes of Evan, who has struggled with fitness of late, a much-needed bit of rest where possible.
Even without the likes of the now-retired Andy Murray, an injured Cam Norrie and Stockport’s Liam Broady, GB still look to be one of the teams in with a really strong chance of going all the way. Is The World Cup of Tennis ‘coming home’ and just how big a maiden tournament is Billy Harris going to have?
Emily Sergeant -
18th March 2024 
