Yahoo News "I have not done anything": Husband-to-be, 26, BANNED from football after screaming vile words at Liverpool fans during Premier League game
A husband-to-be who was caught screaming 'murderers' at Liverpool fans has been banned from football matches for three years.
Burnley fan Matthew Shirt, 26, was heard shouting the vile 'tragedy baiting' chant at Liverpool supporters at Anfield. Shirt, an electrician, was reported to police and later claimed he was just repeating words he had heard before and didn't know what they meant.
He has been ordered to pay £925 and handed a criminal record over the chanting, which references the Heysel Stadium disaster.
The chant has been a familiar taunt at Liverpool games and is a reference to the Heysel Stadium disaster in Belgium in 1985 in which Juventus fans escaping an attack by Liverpool fans before the start of the European Cup final were crushed to death when a wall collapsed. Thirty nine people died, mostly Juventus fans and Italians, and 600 others were injured.
When quizzed after the game, Shirt who lives in Burnley and has never previously been in trouble with the police initially denied shouting the offensive words and claimed he did not know what had happened at the disaster, saying that he thought it was the Liverpool fans who were the victims.
But at Sefton magistrates court, he was fined £600 ordered to pay £325 costs and made subject of a football banning order after he pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. He apologised and said he “deeply regretted” what he had done. Liverpool won the match 3-1.
Edward Handley, prosecuting, said: “The chief witness to the incident is Mr Robert Wilkinson, he details being at the Liverpool FC game at Anfield on February 10 of this year. He is a crowd safety steward at that location. He has been employed in that role for two years.
“He was working in the visitors’ section at a divide between the home and away fans. At 3.30pm, Liverpool scored a goal and went 1-0 up. After the initial cheering there were some comments back and forth between the fans at the divide.
“Mr Wilkinson was watching the away supporters. He identified a male leaning over to the home supporters pointing and shouting ‘murderers’. That was repeated three times in total. One of the Liverpool Football Club fans contacted a member of the police who attended.
“The male was identified as shouting and he was escorted out of the stadium. the steward then started to explain to other fans the reason the defendant had been ejected.”
Mr Handley said that a fan reported being “alarmed and distressed and upset” at hearing what Shirt had been shouting.
“Ian Smith is also a steward at the location,” the prosecutor continued. “His attention had been drawn to a male shouting ‘murderers’. He said it was a reference to the Heysel Football stadium disaster. Sadly it is often used by away fans to Liverpool fans.
“He details that it is known as tragedy chanting. It made him upset when he heard it. He details that police officers arrived and that after the male was identified he was taken away. When being cautioned and arrested for the offence PC Bibby states that the defendant said, ‘I have not done anything'.
“There is a statement from Lee Lomax, who is a dedicated football officer with responsibility for football and related matters at Liverpool FC. He has been in the role for 18 years. He has worked at 750 football matches.
“He says that derogatory references to the Heysel Stadium disaster consist generally of a pushing gesture which refers to the collapse of the interior wall and it is often accompanied by the chant ‘murderers’.
“The reference is that LFC fans were responsible for the tragedy where 39 people, mostly Juventus fans and Italians were killed and 600 were injured. Derogatory references to the Heysel Stadium disaster are often used but he compartmentalised both as being tragedy baiting.”
The court heard that Mr Lomax said that tragedy baiting can be a “catalyst” to serious disorder and that he had known incidents of verbal and physical disorder arising from such chanting. He also knows of fans who suffer PTSD due to the chanting and who avoid certain football matches as a result.
“The defendant initially denied matters in interview,” Mr Handley said. “He denied that he had shouted ‘murderers’. In fact he initially suggested that what he had heard about the disaster was that Liverpool fans were victims and he had no idea why someone would shout ‘Murderers’ because at Heysel it was a different situation.''
Representing himself, Shirt said: “I would like to apologise. I am very sorry to anyone that may have been affected. My intentions were never to cause anybody alarm or distress. I deeply regret my actions.” He said that he had not been fully aware of the significance of the Heysel Stadium Disaster and added: “It has been a hard lesson for me. This is my first offence and I am sure it will be my last.
“I had heard the words before. I go to the football match, but I do not go that often. If I hear a football song I just follow along. I have been to the games all my life with family and friends and have never caused any trouble before.
“I do not go to the football to cause trouble. I go to watch the team. I do have a bit of banter with the other fans but never anything malicious. I am not that sort of person.”
Sentencing District Judge Timothy Boswell told him: “You have heard details from the local football officers giving something of the history of what happened at Heysel and why it is a particularly disturbing chant that has the potential not only to cause significant upset but also the potential to create a volatile situation and the potential to inflame tensions in a crowd.
“That can lead to large scale disorder. It did not happen but that is the potential. You are a hard-working electrician and about to get married so it is a shame that you have behaved in this way and ended up with a criminal conviction.
“On the one hand you are someone who has never behaved like this in the past. You have no criminal record and there is no intelligence to suggest that you are a troublemaker in any way shape or form.
“But on the other hand, because of the nature of the chant that has the potential not only to distress and upset people but also to inflame tensions within a crowd and you having behaved in that way on one occasion before it seems to me that the possibility, however you say that it won't ever happen again, the possibility is that it may happen again.
“I cannot find anything in the circumstances that would make it unjust to impose the banning order, however much an enjoyed recreation it is to you and your family. Following football can be done without going to the game for a period of time.''
