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Man Utd fan charged over Hillsborough shirt at FA Cup final / Photo: © AFP
Man Utd fan charged over Hillsborough shirt at FA Cup final
A Manchester United fan has been charged after wearing a shirt at the FA Cup final that made an offensive reference to the Hillsborough disaster, which killed 97 Liverpool fans.
James White, 33, was charged on Sunday with displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, police said after he wore a United shirt with the words "Not Enough" and the number 97 on the back.
United were beaten 2-1 by local rivals Manchester City in Saturday's final at Wembley.
The Metropolitan Police said White was arrested "after being seen wearing a shirt which appeared to refer in offensive terms to those who died in the Hillsborough tragedy".
He was bailed to appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court in London on June 19.
In a statement, the English Football Association said: "The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
"We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator.
"Our security team were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police."
The disaster that saw Liverpool fans crushed at a FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield in 1989 is one of English football's darkest days.
An inquest jury ruled in 2016 the victims were unlawfully killed amid a number of policing errors.
The Premier League promised to clamp down on the culture of "tragedy chanting" this season after a clash between United and Leeds.
United's 2-0 win at Elland Road in February was soured by supporters trading chants about the Munich air disaster, which killed eight United players in 1958, and the death of two Leeds fans in Istanbul in 2000.
O.Green--SFF
