Man pleads guilty to causing distress over offensive Hillsborough shirt at FA Cup final
A man has pleaded guilty to displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress after wearing a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster at the FA Cup final.
James White, 33, of Warwickshire, admitted the charge at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The shirt referred to the Hillsborough disaster, where 97 fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield in 1989.
They were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors, an inquest jury ruled in 2016.
White has been handed a four-year football banning order which prohibits him from attending all regulated football matches in the UK. He has also been fined £1000 with a £400 surcharge and £85 costs.
Manchester United later said they had issued an “indefinite club ban” for White, adding: “Mockery of Hillsborough and other football tragedies is completely unacceptable and the club will continue to support firm action to eradicate it from the game.”
Kevin Christie of CPS London North said: “White was wearing an offensive shirt which mocked many people and communities that were affected by the Hillsborough tragedy.
“White showed no sympathy towards those people, nor did he care about the impact of his actions.
“The CPS will continue to work with the police in cases involving tragedy chanting, and people who behave in this way will be brought to justice and will be banned from matches.”
Douglas Mackay of the CPS added: “The CPS continues to work closely with the football authorities including the Premier League and the Football Association, police, clubs, and charities to look to stamp out all of the appalling and horrendous incidents of tragedy chanting and gesturing.
“We are sending a clear message that we call on so-called fans to stop this vile behaviour of a minority which has a terrible impact on the bereaved and communities. If they do not then they face the risk of being excluded from the game they claim to love.”
In March 2023, Liverpool and Manchester United jointly called on fans to end “tragedy chanting” ahead of a Premier League match at Anfield.
The long-time rivals issued a statement from Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and his United counterpart Erik ten Hag calling for an end to chants and online abuse about tragedies such as Hillsborough and the Munich plane crash in 1958, which resulted in the deaths of 23 people, including eight United players.
“It is unacceptable to use the loss of life – in relation to any tragedy – to score points, and it is time for it to stop,” Ten Hag said.
“Those responsible tarnish not only the reputation of our clubs but also, importantly, the reputation of themselves, the fans, and our great cities.”
The rivalry is intense but shouldn’t cross the line, Klopp agreed.
“We do want the occasion to be partisan and we do want the atmosphere to be electric,” the Liverpool manager said. “What we do not want is anything that goes beyond this and this applies especially to the kind of chants that have no place in football.”
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