Man who wore offensive Hillsborough shirt at FA Cup final pleads guilty

A man has pleaded guilty after he wore an offensive shirt about the Hillsborough disaster to the FA Cup final.

James White, 33, of Warwickshire, pleaded guilty at Willesden Magistrates’ Court to displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

The shirt referred to the Hillsborough disaster, where 97 fans died at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield in 1989.

The 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.

The FA previously 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.’

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