Manchester United fan banned from stadiums for four years for violating Liverpool rules

A London court ruled on Monday that a Manchester United fan has been banned from football stadiums for four years for wearing a T-shirt poking fun at the number of Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster.

James White, 33, wore the number 97 ‘Not Enough’ shirt for the Red Devils during the FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley on 3 June in a City win. Bernardo Silva and Ruben Diaz.

Several photos and videos of the man were posted on social media, and the police found him and prosecuted him for alluding to the Hillsborough tragedy in Sheffield, when almost a hundred fans of Liverpool – Manchester United’s great rival – were crushed to death by for crowded stands.

Initially, a fan of the club Bruno Fernandez and Diogo Dalot told the authorities that the number 97 was chosen in honor of his grandfather, who died at the age of 97, and that the inscription “Not enough” hinted that he did not have enough children.

However, at a court hearing in Willesden, northwest London, James White pleaded guilty to using “a threatening or offensive inscription that may constitute harassment or cause fear or anxiety.”

White has been unable to attend official football matches for four years and must pay around £1,500 (€1,750) in fines and legal fees.

During the hearing, Diane Lynn, president of the Hillsborough Survivors’ Association, noted that these insults were particularly cruel to the people present at Hillsborough Stadium at the time, who still suffer from feelings of “guilt”.

The defendant’s defense assured that he “deeply regrets” his actions and admitted that he “deeply hurt people.”

Last Tuesday, a Tottenham fan was banned from stadiums for three years after he mocked the Hillsborough disaster during a game at Liverpool’s home Anfield Road on 30 April.