Manchester United fan charged for wearing shirt ‘mocking Hillsborough disaster’
A man has been charged after wearing a t-shirt to Wembley Stadium appearing to make an offensive reference to the Hillsborough disaster.
James White was arrested yesterday and has since been charged with displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Wembley Stadium was hosting the FA Cup Final on Saturday, which saw Manchester City beat their rivals Manchester United.
The words ‘Not Enough’ were emblazoned with the number ’97’ on the back of the white shirt.
White, 33 and from Warwickshire, will appear at Willesden magistrates court on June 19.
The Metropolitan Police said a further 22 people were arrested during the course of the policing operation around Wembley for offences including assault, affray, possession of drugs and drunk and disorderly behaviour.
Police said inquiries continue in respect of an item thrown onto the pitch shortly after the Manchester United goal, and there has been no arrest at this stage in relation to this matter.
Twitter account @LiverpoolPhotox shared an image of a man wearing the ‘Not Enough’ top, claiming he was a Manchester United fan.
A statement from the FA released today said: ‘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.
They were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors, an inquest jury ruled in 2016.
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