Chelsea vs Liverpool: What is tragedy chanting? Why did Man City ...

In the immediate aftermath of Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, the London club issued a statement.

"Chelsea FC condemns the inappropriate chants heard from some home fans during this evening's game," it read.

"Hateful chanting has no place in football and we apologise to anyone who has been offended by them."

It was a similar story after Manchester City beat Jurgen Klopp's side 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium last weekend.

"Manchester City FC are disappointed to have heard inappropriate chants from home fans during today's game," the club's statement began.

"We regret any offence these chants may have caused and will continue to work with supporters' groups and officials from both clubs to eradicate hateful chanting from this fixture."

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In each instance – although this was not something City or Chelsea mentioned explicitly — the chants in question referenced the Hillsborough disaster.

At the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, which was staged at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium, 97 Liverpool fans died as a result of a crush in the ground's Leppings Lane end.

The tragedy had wide-ranging consequences for English football, including prompting the introduction of all-seater stadia in the top division and the removal of perimeter fencing.

Families and friends campaigning on behalf of the victims of Hillsborough waged a long and tireless battle for justice and, in 2016, an inquest concluded that those who died were unlawfully killed.

The jury found match commander Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield was “responsible for manslaughter by gross negligence”. Additionally, it found fans did not contribute to the danger that unfolded as over-crowding at the turnstiles led to supporters being fatally funnelled into the central pen behind the goal.

That 27-year battle, which was ultimately taken on by the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, began in the immediate aftermath of Britain's worst sporting disaster, when smears and misinformation painted Liverpool fans as complicit in the deaths of their fellow supporters — most infamously in The Sun newspaper's now entirely discredited "THE TRUTH" front page.

Those disgusting barbs from more than three decades ago also played a part in planting the seeds for the "always the victims…" and "murderers" chants that have increasingly stained Liverpool games and once again come into focus this week.

The Premier League quote tweeted Chelsea's Tuesday statement from its official account.

"The Premier League condemns the tragedy chanting heard at tonight's match between Chelsea and Liverpool. We continue to treat this as an unacceptable issue and are seeking to address it as a priority," it wrote.

Liverpool are not the only club to find themselves on the receiving end of chants about tragedies.

Terrace songs about the 1958 Munich Air Disaster have featured at Manchester United matches for decades, as have chants about the murder of Leeds fans Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight, who were killed when the Yorkshire club faced Galatasaray in the 2000 UEFA Cup semi-finals.

A powerful tribute by @LUFC to two supporters who lost their lives following their club and a reminder of why tragedy chanting can never be acceptable.

Rest in peace Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight. https://t.co/yraR0kI87u

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 31, 2023

How the Premier League might "address it as a priority" remains to be seen, giving tragedy chants cannot be classified as hate speech in the way that racist or homophobic abuse can.

Nevertheless, the impression is of an increasingly widespread issue within wider concerns surrounding fan behaviour in England since the return of live crowds after the coronavirus shutdown. 

"We know the impact these vile chants have on those who continue to suffer as a result of football tragedies," Liverpool added to Chelsea's online statement. "For their sake, this has to stop."