Police have charged a Burnley fan for singing tragic chants during the match against Manchester United on Saturday.
The images were posted on social media following Burnley’s 1-1 draw against Man United on Saturday.
The Clarets fans celebrated Zeki Amdouni’s equalizer from the penalty spot in the 87th minute at Old Trafford.
One supporter was seen apparently making airplane gestures with his arms towards the Man United fans and appeared to say the word “Munich”.
The gesture appears to reference the 1958 Munich air disaster, in which 23 people died on their way home from a European match, including many members of the Man United team nicknamed the ‘Busby Babes’.
A Burnley supporter has been accused by police of singing tragic chants after being seen making what were alleged to be airplane gestures towards Man United fans on Saturday.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed to Mail Sport that Nathan Rawlinson had been charged after being arrested at Old Trafford on Saturday.
“We can confirm that we have charged Nathan Rawlinson (25/08/1979) of Bacup, Lancashire, with Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 and he has since been released on bail,” a statement from the police said. Greater Manchester Police.
“This charge comes after our specialist football operational investigation team arrested a man in the away section of the Old Trafford crowd who was chanting tragedy yesterday (Saturday 27 April 2024) towards the end of the match between Manchester United and Burnley.
‘As we have recently implemented, continued incidents of tragic chanting by anyone will not be tolerated and will be dealt with firmly.
‘We understand the interest this case will have generated, but it is imperative that the suspect receives a fair trial, so the public should refrain from engaging in online conversations, at least until the trial has concluded.
“Videos that were previously circulated must be removed.”
Burnley issued a statement on Saturday night condemning the “offensive images”, and the club promised to work with Man United and the police to identify and prosecute the fans involved.
“We are aware of the offensive images currently circulating on social media since the end of today’s match at Old Trafford,” a Burnley statement read.
“The gestures and chants relating to the tragedy are completely unacceptable and Burnley Football Club is taking a zero-tolerance approach.
Burnley issued a statement on Saturday night condemning the “offensive footage”.
“We will continue to work with Greater Manchester Police, Lancashire Police and Manchester United to help identify and prosecute those responsible.”
Two fans were arrested on suspicion of singing tragic chants during the FA Cup match between Man United and Liverpool at Old Trafford in March.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed a man was arrested after United fans were heard chanting “always the victims, it’s never your fault”, “The Sun was right – you are murderers”.
An FA spokesperson said: “We strongly condemn any offensive, abusive and discriminatory chanting in football stadiums, and we are determined to eradicate this behaviour.”
‘It is totally unacceptable and can have a lasting and detrimental impact on the people and communities within our game. “This must stop and we support any club and its fans that try to eradicate it from the stands.”
Meanwhile, three United fans were arrested earlier this year following Hillsborough-related chants when the two sides met at Anfield in December.
Last month, Mail Sport revealed that three Arsenal fans who are part of the Ashburton Army were each handed a three-year football banning order for singing tragic chants linked to the Hillsborough disaster during the Gunners’ third-round defeat. FA Cup round against Liverpool in January.
Police made a total of eight arrests in connection with United’s FA Cup victory over Liverpool in March.
A Manchester United fan was seen making disgusted gestures during the FA Cup victory over Liverpool.
The man appeared to imitate pushing against a wall, a reference to the Heysel stadium disaster in 1985, when 39 fans died.
The chants of tragedy were alleged to have included labeling Liverpool fans as “always the victims, it’s never your fault”, a song dating back to the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
Chants of tragedy among fans have been a problem that authorities have repeatedly tried to address.
Football authorities and police have been trying to crack down on tragedy chants and last June, Premier League teams met to agree new measures to tackle the rise in tragedy-related chants at matches.
Man United and Liverpool have since joined forces to educate schoolchildren about the impact of the Munich and Hillsborough disasters, and coaches Erik ten Hag and Jurgen Klopp called for an end to the tragedy by singing ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford earlier this month.
The incidents during the FA Cup tie in March were the latest example of fans mocking their opponents by mocking major disasters such as Hillsborough, Heysel, Munich and Bradford Fire.
Luton fans were heard chanting “always the victims, it’s never your fault” during a match at Kenilworth Road in November last year, Liverpool felt compelled to contact the club after it did not immediately issue a statement condemning them.
Luton later said he was “saddened” by the incident and threatened to ban everyone involved.
Other songs refer to individual tragedies, such as the death of striker Emiliano Sala in a plane crash, or private losses of players, coaches or fans, even extending to the death of children such as Bradley Lowery, a Sunderland cancer victim.
In January, police arrested Two Millwall supporters after they appeared to mock the death of former Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a plane crash in 2018 by making helicopter gestures.
A Manchester City fan was caught on social media in March allegedly making an airplane gesture.
Later footage showed the man being escorted by stewards from the Manchester derby.
Sheffield Wednesday supporter Dale Houghton was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence after taunting Bradley Lowery, the six-year-old Sunderland fan who died of cancer in 2017.
Two months later, a Manchester City fan was seen making an airplane gesture in the direction of visiting United fans in an apparent reference to the Munich plane crash during the Manchester derby.
New guidelines from the Crown Prosecution Service mean that singing about tragedies can be classified as a criminal offense under the Public Order Act 1986, which prohibits behavior in public that intentionally causes “alarm or distress”.
Football clubs and officials are backing the crackdown by issuing stadium bans and football banning orders to fans caught chanting tragedies, as well as passing CCTV footage to police.