Is it going to take another tragedy for the sick chants to finally end?

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ian-doyle-going-take-another-11030920

Too many sections of the media have turned a blind eye (and a deaf ear) to it for too long.
On Thursday, though, there was no escaping the noise emanating from the away end at Anfield.
Now, after years of being the elephant in the room when Liverpool meet Manchester United, the issue of unsavoury chanting has become a major talking point.
Not before time.
One clash at Old Trafford in recent times saw the home supporters continually goad the away support with chants relating to the Hillsborough disaster until, during the second half, Liverpool fans reacted with songs regarding the Munich air crash.
The United fans – and we're not talking a small minority here, but tens of thousands – cheered. They'd got what they intended.

And that's the nub of the matter. Many Liverpool fans for years resorted to the lowest common denominator by taunting United with songs about Munich. United fans probably feel it's natural to respond.
Except it isn't. Two wrongs don't make a right.
There are many, many reasons for Liverpool and United to dislike each other. And that's perfectly fine. Songs about Liverpool being full of slums and Manchester being full of, well, something else may not be hugely intelligent but they are acceptable. Funny, even.
It's a general insult. Nobody got hurt for it to happen.
Football fans can be cruel. They will pinpoint weaknesses – personal or collective – and pounce on them to antagonise opposing players and supporters.
But using the loss of human life at Munich, Hillsborough and Heysel to score points over rivals is pathetic. And always will be.
Ultimately, though, it's about education.
For years after Hillsborough, nobody even considered singing about it. Football fans knew it could easily have been them involved on that tragic day in 1989.

It was the same after the Munich air disaster in 1958. Liverpool were one of many teams to help United in the aftermath. You didn't hear their fans making light of the tragedy.
But then the years passed. Distance. And for the younger generations, who didn't have to live through what happened, they became just stories. Things from the past. There was no emotional connection. So it became fair game.
And once the chants start, it's a lot easier for those who should know better to join the masses than make a stand against what they know is wrong.
In the light of Thursday's events, United swiftly issued a statement condemning the chants and want to open a dialogue to effect change.
But if Alex Ferguson can't persuade United fans to stop the chants – as he tried in 2012 – then who can?
Who knows, maybe it will take yet another tragedy to strike either club for the chanting to stop.
You would hope it won't come to that, though

 

Some of their fans are now trying to claim, in various social media, that the chants were about Heysel, not Hillsborough. Yeah, that's why it contains 'The Sun was right'. And the Mirror trying to spread the blame after the official United statement smacks of favouritism too.

Look, everything you say is true, and some of our fans have been truly vile too over the years, and probably will be again. But this was practically 90 minutes of continuous, incessant chanting, completely assured in the knowledge that no-one would sanction them in any way, or that, in the case of the Mirror, they'd even be supported in it. And here's the thing - if we win on Thursday, and if we start to overhaul United in the league and so forth (big if, I know) the chants will get worse, and the justifications and patronisation from the media will get stronger, because that's were this is all coming from: it's got nothing to do with an intense sense of indignation for the Italian dead, nor some need for retaliation regarding a perceived slight regarding Munich (especially when it's provable that it didn't happen) this is bitter, twisted bad-loser syndrome, nothing more and nothing less.

Shame on the media and many, many Uniturd fans for pretending otherwise.

 

UEFA had a great opportunity to deal with it this week but yet again the authorities have bottled the big decision.

 

I think anyone seriously thinking its fine to sing about one tragedy but not another (probably as they think oh its not PC guys for some reason) then that person has a serious issue with their morality.

I'm pretty sure they will do it all game knowing full well on Thursday now there is no sanction. The think LFC needs to do is ensure this ref is in no way able to have an excuse not to report and if he doesn't then thats his issue.

once the second leg is over i think it'll all be brushed under the carpet.

 

100%

 

I think the question in the op could be boiled down to:

a) will it take such an event (riot whatever, where ever involving whoever) for authorities to get real?

b) will it take sanctions for grown men to not be scumbags?

c) will it take another suarez evra type issue... not that the "outing" of racists actually made any difference in the aftermath as once the media got bored they probably ignore weekly events in this most serious issue too.

 

There's no place for it in the game.

I don't think any one set of fans should take the high ground on it though. As that's ultimately self defeating, as it inadvertently fuels the issue, as the 'tit for tat' nonsense continues.

Time it was deemed as socially unacceptable as the racist chanting of the 70's / early 80's.

 

very true.

 

Both clubs should just agree if they have video evidence of anyone doing it at either ground they'll be banned.

No questions asked, it'll soon stop then.

 

Yep agree completely.

 

a) not been far off that at times already!

b) Absolutely! But it needs to be of epic proportions. Reports suggest it was mainly Man Utd fans last week but I'd have punished everyone and made it a beyond closed doors game this week. The FA needs to grow some bollox too.

c) that esculated the hatred between the two sets of fans so that would only make it worse imo

 

I think they've already tried that approach but just like the Liverpool mods, they lacked a spine to see it through.

 

Agree with all this but especially that highlighted bit.

 

Yeah if it's clear that the authorities aren't going to do **** all about, the clubs need to make a stand TOGETHER and do it. Sad that it still happens really. Has anyone ever been at a game where people have sung Munich songs ? Have other fans ever turned on the ones doing the singing? (I appreciate last week it was a larger than usual group of United fans)

 

We'd see **** like what happens on here though.

"they'd ban us for that so why aren't we doing it"

"they've banned more than us, we need to be stricter"

etc...

It would become another bloody competition between the two clubs.


Personally, I'd say it needs self policing. Not many of us like to be a snitch, most are brought up never to do such a thing but if you see or hear a **** saying such things, rat him out!

 

Both clubs major fan groups - Spirit of Shankly being the Liverpool one, and whatever their counter parts are at United.

Should get their heads together and beat the **** out of each other...... Sorry, only joshing. They should have a meeting and issue a joint statement, asking their fans to put this nonsense to bed once and for all. It's 2016, we shouldn't still be even discussing this kind of bollocks.

....and before anyone pipes up *waves at Donga* yes I know some of our lot still give it the Heysel stuff, but it's a small minority now, and they need to pack it in as well.

 

Sort of the reason I asked the question at the end of my post... I was going to elaborate further with it but understand how it's not easy for everyone to be confrontational like that

It would certainly help though when it is just minorities who are doing it, get enough people on their back and they'll soon stop.

 

Let's see what happens on Thursday, I hope there are no horrible chants.

And if that happens, then let's also consider the "tit-for-tat" argument finished.

None of this "yeah Man Utd fans consistently chant at every U18, league, cup, and European game, but a while back some Liverpool fans chanted too".

Liverpool fans have stopped. Man Utd fans haven't. Let that be the way it is reported if that is the way it is.

Not a moral high ground, just reality.

 

I know you didn't mean it this way mate but that bit makes it sound like you're excusing your club. It doesn't matter if it was one person or ten thousand imo

 

I wasn't excusing it mate. Merely making the point that only a few years ago, it was virtually the entire ground that sang that chant.