Salford City FC have issued an apology to Bradford City AFC after an offensive remark relating to a historic club tragedy was posted on social media.
A member of the Greater Manchester side’s “casual matchday staff” was reported to online and to the club after making reference to the Valley Parade Fire, a disaster which took place at Bradford’s home stadium back in 1985 where 56 people tragically died.
Issuing a statement after the disgusting joke, Salford informed fans that they had been made aware of the comment, adding that “an internal disciplinary procedure will now commence and appropriate sanctions made.”
The League Two club, who could be set to face Bradford in the playoff final, assured that they “do not tolerate the misuse of social media by staff, particularly to make such references to what was a terrible tragedy.”
A member of the club's casual matchday staff made a reference to the Valley Parade fire that killed 56 people.
Salford City have offered their deepest apologies to Bradford City and to the families who lost loved ones in the 1985 tragedy. #bcafchttps://t.co/1esJjCBcwy
The club went on to offer their “sincerest and deepest apologies to Bradford City AFC, its supporters, and the families and friends of victims of the Valley Parade fire tragedy”, adding that “no further comment will be made” at this time while the investigation is still ongoing.
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As for Bradford themselves, while fans have obviously been left disgusted, dubbing the comment as “shameful” and “appalling”, the Bantams have not yet issued any form of official response and simply retweeted Salford’s apology.
The offensive comments themslves are still visible online after being reshared by angry fans and neutrals alike, with many calling for more action when it comes to this kind of abuse.
Sadly, many different teams throughout world football have suffered historic disasters and given the tribalistic nature of fans, mocking them online and in innapropriate chants sang inside stadiums is a problem that is yet to be eradicated from the game.
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No one should ever go to a football match and not go home, nor should it be the subject of cruel humour.
Our thoughts go out to Bradford City fans and those affected by the remarks.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
16th May 2023 
