March 18 – Liverpool and Manchester United, fierce rivals on and off the pitch, as anticipated have been charged by UEFA following crowd trouble during their Europa League last-16 second leg on Thursday.
Rival fans were seen fighting in the stands, seats were thrown and flares were lit towards the end of the 1-1 draw during which five people were arrested. A handful of Liverpool fans unfurled a banner which reportedly sparked the clashes and stewards were forced to form a human shield to separate the two sets of supporters.
In the first leg last week, Liverpool’s 2-0 victory was marred by a section of United supporters referring to the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster, when 96 Liverpool fans died. In the return game, police said some visiting Liverpool fans began chanting ‘Munich’ in the last few moments of the game in a reference to the 1958 air disaster.
Even before the game, police had to remove a provocative banner on a motorway close to Manchester designed to taunt Liverpool followers heading to Old Trafford.
The case will be heard by UEFA’s control, ethics and disciplinary body on May 19, the day after the Europa League final in Basel.
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