Like the majority of Liverpool fans, I was greatly moved by Everton’s tribute to the Hillsborough victims on Monday. It was touching to see the blue half of Merseyside put club rivalry aside in light of last week’s Hillsborough report and it was a reminder that what happened on 15 April 1989 was more than just a Liverpool FC tragedy. It was a football tragedy, a human tragedy in fact and the disaster should be recognised by all football fans as one of the darkest days in the history of the sport. With that in mind, I really hope Manchester United’s fans can follow the example set by Everton on Monday night when they visit Anfield for the North West derby.
Though Everton’s Hillsborough tribute was the most powerful, the Toffees were not alone in remembering the 96 last weekend. At the Stadium of Light, Sunderland and their fans joined Liverpool in paying tribute to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. At the Madejski Stadium, You’ll Never Walk Alone was played before Reading’s game against Tottenham and both sets of fans stood up and applauded. Seeing such support for the Hillsborough justice campaign elsewhere made the actions of a few Manchester United fans all the more saddening.
Despite Alex Ferguson calling for an end to the sick Hillsborough chants, a minority of United fans were heard chanting “always the victims, never your fault” during the club’s fixture at home to Wigan. Manchester United fans have defended the chant by saying it is related to the Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra race row, but chanting it just days after the new Hillsborough revelations was highly insensitive. The timing was ill-judged and the chants have been condemned, not only by United but also by two of the club’s most prominent supporter groups. Events such as Hillsborough, Heysel and the Munich air disaster should be remembered and the victims respected – when people have died, they deserve better than to be used in petulant taunts.
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I have been encouraged by the news that Liverpool and Manchester United are working together to commemorate Hillsborough. Having Steven Gerrard and Nemanja Vidic release 96 balloons in memory of those who died is both a nice touch and a show of unity. I sincerely hope the fans in attendance can echo that unity, whether that means respecting a minute’s silence/applause or refraining from sick chants. For any decent human being, that should not be too much to ask.
When United played Manchester City four days after the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, City’s fans were praised for observing the minute’s silence impeccably. Four years on, United have a chance to show the same level of class for the Hillsborough victims. The derby game on Sunday will see both sets of fans at their most passionate and rightfully so. But that passion should not get in the way of a show of unity before the match – nor should it lead to disrespectful chanting during the 90 minutes. I will be ecstatic if Liverpool get three points on Sunday but getting the Manchester United fans to stand side by side with us in remembering Hillsborough would be a more significant victory.
