Three Arsenal fans have been banned from attending football matches for three years each for tragedy chanting.
The Gunners confirmed on Thursday night that all three supporters had pleaded guilty to a section five public order offence following Arsenal’s 2-0 FA Cup third-round defeat by Premier League title rivals Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on January 7 and been subsequently handed three-year football banning orders.
Arsenal’s statement read: “We strongly condemn this abhorrent behaviour. We have worked closely with the police to ensure swift action was taken and we welcome the football banning orders handed out.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to tragedy chanting and will always ensure strong action is taken against those found guilty of such behaviour.”
The issue of tragedy chanting surfaced once again last weekend at Old Trafford, where Manchester United beat Liverpool 4-3 after extra time in an FA Cup quarter-final classic between the fierce north-west rivals.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said on Wednesday that a man had now been charged with Section 4a of the Public Order Act 1986 for alleged tragedy chanting and been bailed.
In a statement to reiterate their strong condemnation of tragedy chanting after the match at Old Trafford, the Football Association (FA) said in a statement: “We are aware of the reported tragedy chanting during today's FA Cup fixture between Manchester United and Liverpool, and we will be liaising with and supporting Greater Manchester Police.
"We strongly condemn any offensive, abusive and discriminatory chants in football stadiums, and we are determined to stamp this behaviour out.
"It is entirely unacceptable and can have a lasting and damaging impact on people and communities within our game. It must stop, and we support any club and their fans who try to eradicate this from the terraces."
