Fan bags 4-year ban for offensive Hillsborough-related shirt
An unrepentant fan was banned from attending matches for four years Monday for wearing a shirt to this month’s FA Cup final that made an offensive reference to the Hillsborough Stadium disaster where 97 Liverpool fans died.
James White smiled and chuckled after receiving his punishment, which also included a fine of 1,000 pounds ($1,280).
White, 33, pleaded guilty at Willesden Magistrates’ Court in London to displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
White wore a Manchester United jersey with the number “97” and the words “Not Enough” on the back to the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on June 3.
Manchester City won the match 2-1 against United, which is also a big rival of Liverpool.
The Football Association said that it spotted the offensive shirt on social media and security tracked down the man wearing it, leading to his arrest.
“It is hard to imagine a more … offensive reference to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster,” district judge Mark Jabbitt said.
The judge added that the shirt worn by White bore a “hateful expression,″”calling it an “abhorrent message,” and that the impact of his actions are “profound and distressing.”
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According to testimony, White told police after he was arrested: “You haven’t even asked me what the T-shirt means. My grandad died aged 97 and didn’t have enough kids.”
The prosecution said White had “many” previous convictions, dating most recently to 2021, but none were football-related.
The tragedy at Hillsborough in Sheffield, a city in northern England, occurred during an FA Cup semifinal match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest when thousands of Liverpool fans flooded a standing-room section behind a goal in the overcrowded arena.
Victims were crushed against metal fences, trampled or suffocated in Britain’s worst sports disaster.