Crossed the line

A Man Utd fan was arrested after the FA Cup final between Manchester United and Manchester City for wearing a shirt that had “97 not enough” written on it.

Here’s all you need to about the arrest, why the shirt is problematic, and what’s next-

Man Utd fan arrested

Liverpool FC fan account Kop Watch tweeted a picture in the buildup to the final where a Manchester United fan was sporting a t-shirt with “97 not enough” written on it in place of a player name.

The Met Police immediately sprang into action, first saying that they are working proactively working with Wembley stadium officials to identify the individual.

The police later gave an update that the Man Utd fan was arrested on the “suspicion of a public order offence and taken into custody”.

What does “97 not enough mean”?

The shirt is allegedly in reference to the infamous Hillsborough disaster of 1989 when 97 Liverpool fans lost their lives in a stampede at Hillsborough Stadium. The disaster has the highest death toll in British sporting history. It occurred on April 15, 1989, when an FA Cup semifinal between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was to take place.

94 fans died on that very day, while one person died in the hospital a few days later. The death toll rose to 96 in 1993, and finally to 97 when Andrew Devine died of brain injuries 32 years later.

The fan’s shirt, was, therefore, highly insensitive and disrespectful to the memory of the people who lost their lives in that unfortunate incident.

Chants related to Hillsborough in stadiums have been condemned repeatedly as there is huge potential for these to cause public disorder and violence. Wearing a shirt that makes a mockery of the worst disaster in Britain’s sporting history on such a big stage shows a lack of understanding and maturity and the police cracked down on it hard and quickly.

It remains to be seen what happens with the Man Utd fan arrested.