Manchester United, Liverpool charged over Europa League crowd trouble
UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Manchester United and Liverpool on Friday over disturbances during their Europa League Round of 16 clash at Old Trafford on Thursday.
The home side is charged with crowd disturbances, blocked stairways, and throwing objects, while the Liverpool support is accused of illicit chants, setting off fireworks, throwing objects, crowd disturbances, and turning up late for kickoff.
(Courtesy: The Guardian)
The Merseyside outfit prevailed on the night, a 1-1 draw enough to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory over its hated rival.
Related: Liverpool progresses with result against Manchester United
The Guardian reports that angry scenes toward the end of the match were sparked by away fans situated in the home support unfurling a banner. Some sections of the travelling Liverpool support then began chanting "Munich," referring to the deadly plane crash of 1958, while fights broke out and seats were thrown.
"The policing operation for the Manchester United (versus) Liverpool match has now come to an end and towards the end of the game there were a handful of concerning incidents which are currently being investigated. We have made a total of five arrests," said superintendent Jim Liggett, who was match commander for the clash.
There were similar issues at Anfield in the first leg a week earlier when United fans allegedly chanted about the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, referring to the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans in a crush of bodies during an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. The match officials did not include these incidents in their report, however, and United wasn't punished.
Many Liverpool fans were also welcomed by a "murderers" banner en route to Old Trafford before Thursday's second leg, the Hillsborough reference scrawled onto a sheet hanging on a bridge over the M602 in Salford.
Liverpool is also launching an investigation into the conduct of youth team player Jordan Williams, according to multiple reports. Williams appeared to refer to the Munich air disaster when responding to a video of Reds fans celebrating post-match.
(Courtesy: Daily Mail)
UEFA will deal with the charges against both teams on May 19.