Klopp spoke of his admiration for the minute’s silence before Liverpool’s Premier League match at Emirates Stadium on Friday night. The German manager lauded Arsenal supporters for their complete silence throughout the tribute.
The praise comes in the wake of Manchester City and Chelsea apologising to Liverpool and their fans after supporters of both clubs sang songs related to the tragedy, in which 97 people died.
Klopp spoke out against “tragedy chanting,” a term used to describe when football fans sing deeply offensive songs that reference stadium disasters or fatal accidents involving players or supporters. Klopps argued that such behaviour must be eliminated in the same way as that of a racist and sexist nature.
Survivors of the tragedy feel deeply hurt and aggrieved by the chanting, and an online petition calling for tragedy chanting to be made a criminal offence has gained over 12,000 signatures.
The campaign has gained support from former Liverpool player John Aldridge and Joe Blott, the chairman of the Liverpool fan group Spirit of Shankly.
Blott is part of a working group alongside representatives from the Premier League, Football Association, EFL, Manchester United, Liverpool, Leeds and Football Supporters Association. The working group aims to tackle the issue of tragedy chanting through education and providing opportunities for people to understand the impact of what they are singing. The power to tackle this issue already exists in the Public Order Act, but education is vital in eradicating the chanting from the sport, the group believes.
