Tipster profile image
Stefan Tonev
twitter iconlikedin icon
Sports Editor authorBadge
Last Updated:

4 min read

Klopp & Ten Hag call for end to “abhorrent chants”
google news logo Follow us
Add comment
Liverpool and Manchester United managers approached fans in a joint statement

Liverpool and Manchester United managers Jurgen Klopp and Erik ten Hag have urged their teams’ supporters to end “tragedy chanting” in a joint statement.

The two most successful English clubs meet at Anfield on Sunday in a much-anticipated Premier League clash. 

The Munich air disaster took place in February 1958, when a charter plane crashed, claiming the lives of 23 people, including eight Manchester United players and three officials.

In 1985, 39 fans died after being crushed against a wall which collapsed before the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, while 97 supporters died as a result of a terrace crush at Liverpool’s FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough in 1989.

Liverpool manager Klopp told fans to “keep the passion and lose the poison”.

“When the rivalry becomes too intense it can go to places that are not good for anyone and we do not need this,” the German said.

“We do want the noise, we do want the occasion to be partisan and we do want the atmosphere to be electric. 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.

“If we can keep the passion and lose the poison, it will be so much better for everyone.”

Ten Hag added: “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.

“We all love the passion of the fans when our teams meet, but there are lines that should not be crossed.

“Those responsible tarnish not only the reputation of our clubs but also, importantly, the reputation of themselves, the fans, and our great cities.”

In November, the Football Association expressed concerns over the rise of “abhorrent chants” related to the Hillsborough disaster, including by fans of Manchester City and Manchester United on their visits to Anfield last year.

Then Manchester United and Leeds United “strongly condemned” chants about historic tragedies when they met at Elland Road last month.