A man from Lancashire has been charged for tragedy chanting during the game between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford this weekend.
Nathan Rawlinson from the town of Bacup in the Rossendale Borough was charged with Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 and has since been bailed after being detained.
The 44-year-old was arrested by Greater Manchester Police’s Specialist Operational Football investigation team after he was reported tragedy chanting in the away section of Old Trafford on Saturday, 27 April.
Videos of the Burnley fan which have since been largely removed began circulating online not long after the full-time whistle of the 1-1 draw, with various accounts urging GMP and fans to help identify him.
Credit: X (various)
Issuing a statement following the incident, authorities said: “As we have enforced recently, continued incidents of tragedy chanting by anyone will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We understand the interest this case will have generated but it is imperative that the suspect has a fair trial so members of the public must refrain from engaging in conversations online, at least until proceedings have concluded. Previously circulated videos should be removed.”
As for Burnley FC themselves, the club issued a swift response, stating: “We are aware of offensive footage currently circulating on social media from the away end of today’s fixture at Old Trafford.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Tragedy-related gesturing and chanting is completely unacceptable, and Burnley Football Club take a zero-tolerance approach. We will continue to work with Greater Manchester Police, Lancashire Police and Manchester United to help identify and prosecute the individuals responsible.”
We welcome the swift action from the GMP and we continue to assist in every way possible.
Burnley Football Club maintains a zero tolerance for such behaviour and anyone found guilty will receive the strongest ban possible. https://t.co/ZNT6aQJHix
Sadly, despite urges from clubs like Man United and Liverpool, tragedy chanting continues to be a prevailing problem up and down the country and there have been numerous instances in 2024 already.
A dedicated Premier League was set up in 2023 to try and curb the behaviour, working with supporter groups, local police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
ADVERTISEMENT
New and harsher measures have been put in place this season to crack down on the behaviour and people found guilty of offences can face stadium bans, criminal prosecution and even jail time.
It has no place in football, simple as.
There is no place for football tragedy abuse in our game. We strongly condemn this behaviour and sanctions are in place to ensure anybody found guilty faces consequences.
We continue to treat this as an unacceptable issue and fully support Burnley FC, Manchester United and the…
Tributes paid as Curzon Ashton FC founder Harry Twamley dies following a ‘long illness’
Danny Jones
Tributes are pouring as local team Curzon Ashton FC have confirmed that club founder Harry Twamley BEM has sadly passed awayat the age of 82.
Based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, the National League North side shared the news on Wednesday morning, with fans across the region as well as up and down the English footballing pyramid paying their respects.
Posting on social media, the Curzon Ashton official accounts wrote: “It is with deep regret that we announce that Harry Twamley (BEM) passed away after a long illness.”
“Our condolences are expressed to Richard and Jayne and to the rest of his family at this time.”
While they explained that a full statement will be shared online in the coming days, the initial announcement on the club website featured heartfelt words from former club chairman Wayne Salkeld, who took over from Twamley back in the 2018/19 season, spending five years at the helm.
Salkeld said: “It’s a sad day for everyone at the club. I was honoured when Harry asked me to become chairman in 2018/19 and I will never forget that day.
“I’m going to miss our phone calls which were every day. Thanks for the memories and we will work hard to keep your legacy going.”
Curzon Ashton director Oliver Newall also shared a touching tribute to the club founder, who set up the club back in 1963, adding: “What an incredible man. Someone who brought Curzon Ashton into the world and whom without we would not have had so many amazing moments and memories.
“The word legend gets thrown around too often… Harry Twamley was a legend and he will be missed so much.” He was joined by numerous fans and other clubs in offering their condolences.
By all accounts, one of the loveliest men in football. (Credit: Screenshots via X)
Other teams paying tribute included Salford City, Saddleworth Cricket Club and nearby non-league outfit, FC United of Manchester.
The lattermost wrote: “From all at FC United, we would like to pay our respects to a legend of the game in Greater Manchester, we ground-shared at Curzon Ashton and saw first-hand what an immense character Harry was.”
Twamley was named in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honours list back in 2017 and awarded an Order of the British Empire medal for his services to amateur football. Our thoughts go out to his friends, family, The Nash and their supporters.
Rest in peace to an important local figure and treasured champion of the grassroots game.
Manchester City is looking for ‘diehard fans’ to be part of a new documentary series
Emily Sergeant
Manchester City is looking for some diehard fans to be part of a new documentary series by sharing their love for the club.
The Sky Blues are no stranger to a documentary, having had several successful series and feature-length shows air on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and the club’s own online TV platform CITY+, over the past couple of years – drawing in millions of viewers across the globe each time.
But now, it sounds like there’s another one in the works… and you could be a part of it.
The football club is looking for families with four generations of supporters to share their special memories of following Manchester City down the years.
📣 We’re looking for diehard fans to share their special City memories for an exciting new documentary series!
On top of this, the club is also keen to find fan videos that can help take documentary viewers into the stands from a City fan’s perspective, and is asking that people get in touch and send footage that they’ve taken of some of the club’s most famous moments from over the years – including reactions to Sergio Aguero’s famous goal against QPR in 2012, and the Treble-winning season.
Footage could also be submitted from other important milestones such as the 1999 play off final, or from things like random away days in the 1980s, or even City-themed kids’ birthday parties from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
No matter whether the footage was taken on a mobile phone, old-school video camera, or something similar, it could come in useful.
Manchester City is looking for ‘diehard fans’ to be part of a new documentary series / Credit: Manchester City
The only condition is that all footage submitted by fans must be their own, and not recordings from commercial media, or copied from YouTube or any other media/social media outlets.
Keen to be a part of the production then?
If you would like you and your family to be considered for the documentary, then you can email [email protected] with your details and stories about supporting City.
Danny Jones -
29th April 2024 
