Skip to main content

Football

Man charged after wearing shirt appearing to refer to Hillsborough disaster

270803975.jpg

A man has been charged after he was seen wearing a football shirt at Wembley which appeared to make an offensive reference to the Hillsborough disaster.

James White, 33, of Warwickshire, was charged on Sunday with displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, Scotland Yard said.

Advertisement

The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account retweeted a picture on Saturday of a man wearing a Manchester United shirt that had the number 97 on the back and the words “Not Enough”.

Wembley was hosting the FA Cup final, where Manchester City beat local rivals Manchester United 2-1.

The Met said White was arrested “after being seen wearing a shirt which appeared to refer in offensive terms to those who died in the Hillsborough tragedy”.

He was bailed to appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on June 19.

Meanwhile, police said a further 22 people were arrested during the course of the policing operation for offences including assault, affray, possession of drugs, and drunk and disorderly behaviour.

Inquiries continue in respect of an item thrown on to the pitch shortly after the Manchester United goal, and there has been no arrest at this stage in relation to that matter.

On Sunday, the FA said in a statement: “The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

“We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator.

“Our security team were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police.

“We will not tolerate abuse relating to Hillsborough or any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.”

Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, 1989.

An inquest jury ruled in 2016 that they were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors.

Upcoming Matches

competition-logo
English FA Cup
Saturday, 10 Jan
Round 3
03:30 AM
Wrexham-team-logo Wrexham
Nottingham Forest-team-logo Nottingham Forest
03:30 AM
Milton Keynes Dons-team-logo Milton Keynes Dons
Oxford United-team-logo Oxford United
03:30 AM
Port Vale-team-logo Port Vale
Fleetwood Town-team-logo Fleetwood Town
03:30 AM
Preston North End-team-logo Preston North End
Wigan Athletic-team-logo Wigan Athletic
08:15 PM
Cheltenham Town-team-logo Cheltenham Town
Leicester City-team-logo Leicester City
08:15 PM
Everton-team-logo Everton
Sunderland-team-logo Sunderland
08:15 PM
Wolverhampton Wanderers-team-logo Wolverhampton Wanderers
Shrewsbury Town-team-logo Shrewsbury Town
08:15 PM
Macclesfield Town-team-logo Macclesfield Town
Crystal Palace-team-logo Crystal Palace
11:00 PM
Burnley-team-logo Burnley
Millwall-team-logo Millwall
11:00 PM
Ipswich Town-team-logo Ipswich Town
Blackpool-team-logo Blackpool
11:00 PM
Stoke City-team-logo Stoke City
Coventry City-team-logo Coventry City
11:00 PM
Salford City-team-logo Salford City
Swindon Town-team-logo Swindon Town
11:00 PM
Boreham Wood-team-logo Boreham Wood
Burton-team-logo Burton
11:00 PM
Manchester City-team-logo Manchester City
Exeter City-team-logo Exeter City
11:00 PM
Doncaster Rovers-team-logo Doncaster Rovers
Southampton-team-logo Southampton
11:00 PM
Newcastle United-team-logo Newcastle United
Bournemouth AFC-team-logo Bournemouth AFC
11:00 PM
Sheffield Wednesday-team-logo Sheffield Wednesday
Brentford-team-logo Brentford
11:00 PM
Fulham-team-logo Fulham
Middlesbrough-team-logo Middlesbrough

Must Watch Video