A Manchester United fan who wore a football shirt to the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on June 3 which made an offensive reference to the Hillsborough disaster has pleaded guilty to displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
James White, 33, of Warwickshire, entered the guilty plea at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
He was arrested inside the national stadium after a picture of him wearing the shirt on the concourse was posted on social media. The Manchester United away strip had the number 97 with the words "not enough" written above, leading to widespread condemnation.
The Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance said: "HSA was alerted to this despicable act on twitter and we at Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance would like to thank The FA, Metropolitan police and security staff at Wembley for their swift action and arrest.
"We would also like to thank the messages of support that we have received from all genuine Manchester United fans, and fans from other clubs for their support."
The FA also condemned the fan in a statement: "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.
“We will not tolerate abuse relating to Hillsborough or any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.”
A further 22 people were arrested during the course of the policing operation around Wembley before, during and after the game - which Manchester City won 2-1 on their way to becoming only the second English club to win the Treble - for offences including assault, affray, possession of drugs and drunk and disorderly behaviour.
Police said inquiries continue in respect of an item thrown onto the pitch shortly after the Manchester United goal, and there has been no arrest at this stage in relation to that matter.
Sign up to our f ree sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox
