Man City Apologize to Hillsborough Survivors Group For Vile Chants From Fans

The fallout continues following Liverpool’s statement 1-0 victory over Man City at the weekend.

Red cards, public relations sparring, accounts of coin-throwing, spurious accusations, and legal action have all marked the days since the Reds defeated the defending champions in a contentious, high-octane clash at Anfield.

Most odious however, have been reports of videos showing City supporters singing repulsive songs in reference to the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters. Graffiti mentioning the two tragedies associated with Liverpool were also reported to be found scrawled in restrooms in the stadium.

While Man City have yet to come out to publicly condemn the actions of select supporters, the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance revealed that they had received a response from the club to their request for comment. According to reporting by the Liverpool ECHO, City committed to “sanctioning the individuals” responsible for such reprehensible behavior:

“Thank you for contacting Manchester City.

“We are sorry to read that you and other families have been affected by the events which took place on Sunday, particularly given your personal connections to the tragedy of the Hillsborough disaster. As a Club we strongly condemn the chanting or singing of songs with connotations to footballing tragedies and will continue to sanction those individuals who are found to be responsible for such behaviour.

“Alongside condemning behaviour of this nature, we stand with Liverpool fans in marking the anniversary of Hillsborough each year to remember those who sadly lost their lives.

“At the same time, we also commend the action of many organisations who continue to educate the wider public about the tragedy and those who call for positive action to be taken through the Hillsborough Law campaign.

“Ahead of the next meeting between the two clubs, we will contact all of our Season Ticket and Matchday Members to reiterate that this type of hateful chanting and singing has no place in the game and ask the vast majority of our fans who would never engage in such behaviour to call out and report any individual that chooses to do so. Thank you again for contacting the Club.”

The Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance responded in writing accepting the apology and requesting that the club state the same publicly:

“We’re glad they have replied to the email. We have replied again asking for a public statement.

We are deeply disappointed to hear vile chants relating to football stadium tragedies from the away section during today’s game at Anfield. We know the impact such behaviour has on the families, survivors and all those associated with such disasters.

“We are working with the relevant authorities and we will also work with Manchester City in order to do our utmost to ensure these chants are eradicated from football altogether.”