Eight men aged between 19 and 59 have been arrested and one charged following Manchester United’s FA Cup quarter-final at home to Liverpool on Sunday.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the alleged offences included suspicion of possession of class A drugs, suspicion of causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress through chanting and for a racially aggravated public order offence.
Four of the arrests were Liverpool fans and four were United supporters. George Fenning, 39, from Edinburgh, was charged with possession of a pyrotechnic, class B drug and throwing missiles. He has since been bailed.
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“GMP can confirm that a 21-year-old and a 59-year-old man were arrested in connection with tragedy chanting,” said Chief Inspector Jamie Collins.
“Incidents of tragedy chanting will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly. We held a supporter group meeting with both sets of fans prior to the match and both groups agreed that tragedy chanting was totally unacceptable.
“GMP will clamp down on this and arrest those who engage in such behaviour, regardless of what team they support.
“We are also aware of footage circulating on social media of a Manchester United supporter engaging in tragedy chanting.
“No arrest has been made yet but GMP are working with both clubs to identify the individual in connection with this incident. I hope these arrests will act as a deterrent to anyone attending future games.”
Man United vs Liverpool arrests: Officers praised
United reached the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium 4-3 after extra time of a thriller in front of 72,000 people at Old Trafford in which both sides came from behind.
“I would like to thank the vast majority of supporters who came along to enjoy what turned out to be an intense game right to the very last minute,” said Collins.
“Thanks as well to all our officers and partners involved in the operation yesterday, who contributed to what was a fantastic FA Cup tie.
“The arrests made were the result of us taking a proactive, zero-tolerance approach to ensure that genuine supporters and spectators were able to enjoy the match safely.”
