Eight detained on suspicion of tragedy chanting

Google External view of Anfield Stadium showing Liverpool FC logoGoogle
The arrests were made over tragedy chanting at Anfield on Sunday

A man from the United States was one of eight people detained after tragedy chanting at Sunday's Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United, police have said.

The 28-year-old, from Tennessee, was arrested at Anfield under Section 5 of the Public Order Act (Tragedy Chanting) along with a 46-year-old man from Nottinghamshire.

Five other men, aged from 21 to 59, and a 52-year-old woman have been asked to voluntarily attend interviews under caution, on suspicion of the same offence.

Ch Insp Lisa Ledder, of Merseyside Police, said tragedy chanting caused "huge distress to families and people directly affected" and had "absolutely no place in football".

PA Media Scoreboard with white text on a red background reads "Liverpool FC 2 Man United 2".PA Media
The Premier League fixture at Anfield ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw

"The tragic loss of life is not a subject for tribal point scoring, and this behaviour has absolutely no place in football," she said.

"We will continue to work with clubs to take action to identify and bring any perpetrators to justice.

"I hope the arrests send a clear message and acts as a deterrent to others that you risk getting a criminal record and ending up in custody if you choose to engage in this despicable behaviour."

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