Police charge man with tragedy chanting during Manchester United vs Burnley

A 44-year-old man has been charged with tragedy chanting after a person was filmed during Manchester United’s Premier League game with Burnley on Saturday.

A man in the away section of the stadium was filmed appearing to mock the Munich air disaster during the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford and the video was widely circulated on social media on Saturday night.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: “We can confirm that we have charged Nathan Rawlinson (25/08/1979) of Bacup, Lancashire with Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 and has since been bailed.

“This charge is after our specialist operational football investigation team made an arrest of a man in the away section of the Old Trafford crowd yesterday (Saturday 27 April 2024) towards the end of the Manchester United v Burnley fixture.

“As we have enforced recently, continued incidents of tragedy chanting by anyone will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.

“We understand the interest this case will have generated, but it is imperative that the suspect has a fair trial, so members of the public must refrain from engaging in conversations online, at least until the proceedings have concluded. Previously circulated videos should be removed.”

Burnley released a statement on Saturday night, saying they are “aware of the offensive footage” and that they will “continue to work with Greater Manchester Police, Lancashire Police and Manchester United to help identify and prosecute the individuals responsible”.

“Tragedy related gesturing and chanting is completely unacceptable, and Burnley Football Club takes a zero-tolerance approach,” their statement added.

In August 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) released new guidance around punishments for tragedy chanting, which stated that “tragedy-related abuse” can be prosecuted as a public order offence.

The CPS also said that supporters found guilty of the offense could face a ‘football banning order’ — meaning they could be prevented from attending matches and tournaments, traveling to certain areas and denied entrance to pubs during matches.

Following Manchester United’s FA Cup win against Liverpool at Old Trafford in March, GMP announced they had made eight arrests in total at the game, with two of them being United fans in connection to the tragedy chanting.

Another supporter was later charged with tragedy chanting after a video was circulated on social media of them appearing to commit the offense.

Jamie Collins, GMP’s chief inspector, said: “We are reiterating the message that any kind of gesture or comments from any supporters to other clubs in relation to tragedy chanting will not be tolerated and is completely unacceptable.

“I would also like this to be a strong warning for any supporters attending future fixtures in Greater Manchester, including the up-and-coming Premier League fixture between these two clubs, that if you engage in this behavior GMP officers will do everything possible to bring you in front of the courts.”

(Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)