FA Cup final: Man arrested in Wembley for offensive Hillsborough shirt

A man has been arrested in Wembley during the FA Cup final for wearing an offensive shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster. The fan wore a Manchester United shirt which highlighted the 97 Liverpool fans that died in the tragic events.

A photograph of the back of the shirt began circulating on Twitter last night by a Liverpool fan account which showed the number 97 with the words ‘Not enough’. The Metropolitan Police Events Twitter account then retweeted the photograph, saying: “#ARREST We are aware of this and have worked proactively with officials at @wembleystadium to identify the individual.

“He has been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and taken into custody.” The shirt referenced football fans who lost their lives as a result of a crush at an FA Cup semi-final game in 1989.

Nottingham Forest played Liverpool at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15, before the tragic incident. A 2016 inquest jury ruled the 97 people were unlawfully killed amid a number of police errors.

In March, both clubs called on fans to end offensive “tragedy chanting” ahead of a Premier League match at Anfield. Despite the clubs long-time rivalry, a joint statement from Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and his Manchester United counterpart Erik ten Hag called for an end to chats and online abuse about the disaster and Munich plane crash.

Liverpool fans are known to retaliate to United’s Hillsborough chanting by referencing the 1958 plane crash which resulted in the deaths of 23 people, including eight Manchester United players. Ten Hag said: “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.

“Those responsible tarnish not only the reputation of our clubs but also, importantly, the reputation of themselves, the fans, and our great cities.” Klopp agreed with the statement, adding: “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.”