Man City Fans Foodbank Support group have written to their club to ask for their support after a sub-section of fans disrupted the moment of silence in remembrance of the Hillsborough disaster at Wembley.
The FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Man City came a day after the 33-year anniversary of the tragedy that saw 97 lives unlawfully taken in 1989.
A moment of silence was to take place ahead of kick-off but was marred by a collection of City fans who blatantly showed no respect and forced referee Michael Oliver to end it prematurely.
It led Pep Guardiola to say “they don’t represent who we want to be” and now the MCFC Fans Foodbank Support has published the letter they sent to Man City CEO Ferran Soriano after Saturday’s events.
They call for the club to support The Real Truth Legacy Project and Hillsborough Law, initiatives that look to educate and protect others from the injustice that followed the disaster.
You can read the full letter addressed to the Man City CEO here:
We are writing in regard to the unfortunate reception given to the Hillsborough anniversary minutes’ silence by a small minority of City fans in this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final.
The appalled reaction of the vast majority of fans, as well as the quick condemnation by the club and Pep Guardiola, was encouraging and well received. However, we all know that this will not solve the problem, and we believe that dealing with it should be a high priority for the club.
We are not writing to condemn some fans, or simply to express outrage. Instead, we would like to offer suggestions which can lead to a more positive future for all.
With this in mind, we would ask City to take the lead on this issue and use its considerable influence it has within the game and over its fans to officially support the following two initiatives:
The Real Truth Legacy Project – a campaign to get education about Hillsborough added to the National Curriculum.
A Hillsborough Law – to introduce a statutory duty of candour on public servants during all forms of public inquiry and criminal investigation.
By doing so, Manchester City can join Liverpool FC, Everton FC and other clubs in their calls to ensure that the legacy of Hillsborough is not forgotten, and that the lies which caused so much pain to families cannot be repeated.
The rivalry on the pitch with Liverpool has never been stronger than it is right now. Off the pitch however, it should be a different story. Despite calls for a rivalry defined by hatred and aggression in certain sections of the media, there is so much more to be achieved through mutual respect, understanding and friendship.
We do not claim to represent Manchester City fans, either officially or unofficially, and never have. However, we are well placed to see the benefits of working with and alongside Liverpool fans. It is in this capacity that we are writing to you today.
Through collaboration with the Merseyside branch of Fans Supporting Foodbanks, we have provided emergency help to foodbanks across both Greater Manchester and Merseyside, produced and supplied thousands of items of PPE across the region during the covid pandemic, launched the Right to Food campaign to end food poverty in the UK, and much more.
More than anything, the friendships made have enriched our lives as City fans and shown us that football rivalry, even one of such a historic intensity and quality as the current one with Liverpool, can be understood and experienced in an entirely different, more respectful way.
We value the friendship and comradeship we have found with Liverpool fans extremely highly, and believe that City fans across the board deserve to have similarly positive experiences.
We ask and urge Manchester City to support the above proposals and lead our fans and the global City community on this issue, for the benefit of all.
Yours sincerely,
MCFC Fans Foodbank Support
A classy response. There is no point scoring in such tragedy, change is needed.
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