Manchester United dodge sanctions for vile Hillsborough chants

Manchester United have avoided sanction for supporters' chants about the Hillsborough disaster during last week's Europa League defeatat Anfield.

Uefa said it would not be taking further action after United condemned fans who taunted Liverpool supporters about the 96 deaths that occurred at Hillsborough during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

There was also reported chanting regarding the Heysel disaster of 1985, when 39 people in the Juventus end were killed when a wall collapsed after clashes with Liverpool fans.

However, the chanting was not mentioned in the match officials’ reports and therefore no disciplinary proceedings were commenced.

A United statement at the time said: “It has always been the position of Manchester United that chants of this nature, which refer to historical tragedies, have no place in the game and do not reflect the values the club holds. We are in discussion with our fans’ groups to seek their support in preventing this type of behaviour in the future.”

There is a history of unpalatable chants being heard during the fixture. Liverpool fans have previously sung about the 1958 Munich air disaster.

The former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton condemned the chanting, saying: “There were people in the crowd who lost loved ones at Hillsborough and that’s really hard to take. It’s something we don’t want to hear. It’s happened in the past with Liverpool fans to Manchester United with what happened at Munich. It’s uncalled for.

“When you lower yourself to that level, it’s quite remarkable. It should have been a night of celebration - they haven’t played each other in a European tie before. The fans should have been getting behind their own team. When you stoop as low as they did, for me, it’s dreadful.”

Guardian services