Manchester City apologise after fans disrupt silence for Hillsborough victims

Manchester City said that they feel disappointed with a section of their fans who were chanting during a minute’s silence held before kick-off in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool at Wembley. A minute’s silence was observed to mark 33 years since the Hillsborough disaster, which claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool supporters during the club’s semi-final against Nottingham Forest in the Cup competition. While it was only a small number of City fans who disrrupted the silence, the noise could be clearly heard throughout the stadium and on television.

City saddened by fans at Wembley

A statement released by City during the game read via the BBC: “Manchester City are extremely disappointed with the actions of some City supporters during the minute’s silence before today’s game. The club sincerely apologises to all those connected with Liverpool Football Club.”

Those words were echoed by manager Pep Guardiola, who expressed how disappointed he was in his post-match press conference. “The club’s made a statement. A spokesman has apologised. It doesn’t represent who we are or who we want to be. We stand by Liverpool Football Club, who lived through an incredible tragedy. I think the statement from the club reflects perfectly who were are”.

Reds boss Jürgen Klopp said that City’s apology is accepted and the incident put to rest. He told ITV, “Of course, that’s not nice, that’s clear. But I heard that City put out a statement and we’re fine with that so, in the moment, I felt really strange because in football, there are moments where all rivalries should be put aside. This is one of those moments. But you cannot change it. I’m pretty sure it was not all of the City supporters - some of the City supporters. And hopefully they got a proper word from the people around them. It’s not about Manchester City, there are a few people who obviously didn’t understand the situation”.