A man has pleaded guilty to displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress after wearing a football shirt at Wembley Stadium which made an offensive reference to the Hillsborough disaster. James White, 33, of Warwickshire, admitted the charge at Willesden Magistrates’ Court in north-west London on Monday June 19.
The court heard that at the FA Cup Final on June 3 he wore a Manchester United shirt which had the number 97 and the words “Not Enough” on the back. Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15 1989.
Manchester City won the FA Cup at Wembley, beating local rivals Manchester United 2-1. The FA said in a statement in the wake of the eagerly-awaited cup clash in London: “The FA strongly condemns the actions of the individual who wore a shirt referencing the Hillsborough disaster ahead of the Emirates FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.
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“We saw a photograph of the offensive shirt on social media and immediately started working to identify the perpetrator. Our security team were able to quickly locate the individual based on the image, and we welcome the swift action which was then taken by the police.
“We will not tolerate abuse relating to Hillsborough or any football tragedy at Wembley Stadium and we will continue to work with the authorities to ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.” The Metropolitan Police added 22 people were arrested in connection with the FA Cup final last month.
Offences included assault, affray, drunk and disorderly behaviour and possession of drugs – but police have not yet made an arrest in relation to an item thrown onto the pitch during the match.