Eight men have been arrested and one charged following Manchester United’s FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Supporters were arrested for a range of alleged offences, including on suspicion of possession of class A drugs, on suspicion of causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress through chanting, and suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence.
It came during the FA Cup quarter-final thriller that saw United eventually beat Liverpool 4-3 after extra time thanks to a last gasp winner.
There were 72,000 fans in attendance on Sunday and of the eight men arrested, five were Liverpool fans and three were United fans.
George Fenning, from Edinburgh, was also charged with possession of a pyrotechnic, class B drugs, and throwing missiles. He has since been bailed.
Chief Inspector Jamie Collins, Silver Commander for the match, said: “I would like to thank the vast majority of supporters who came along to enjoy what turned out to be an intense game right to the very last minute.
“Thanks as well to all our officers and partners involved in the operation yesterday who contributed to what was a fantastic FA Cup tie.
“The arrests made were the result of us taking a proactive, zero-tolerance approach to ensure that genuine supporters and spectators were able to enjoy the match safely.
“Greater Manchester Police (GMP) can confirm that a 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with tragedy chanting. Incidents of tragedy chanting will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.”
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He added: “We held a supporter group meeting with both sets of fans prior to the match and both groups agreed that tragedy chanting was totally unacceptable. GMP will clamp down on this and arrest those who engage in such behaviour, regardless of what team they support.
“We are also aware of footage circulating on social media of a Manchester United supporter engaging in tragedy chanting. No arrest has been made yet but GMP are working with both clubs to identify the individual in connection with this incident.
“I hope that these arrests will act as a deterrent to anyone attending future games.”
The FA previously issued a statement related to alleged “tragedy chanting” during the fixture.
They said they “strongly condemn any offensive, abusive and discriminatory chants in football stadiums, and we are determined to stamp this behaviour out.”
