Burnley football supporter has been charged with a public order offense for reportedly taunting the Munich air disaster while celebrating a goal against Manchester United.
The match at Old Trafford on Saturday, April 27 ended in a tie. Manchester United took the lead 11 minutes from time through Antony, only for Zeki Amdouni to return parity from the penalty spot.
However, Nathan Rawlinson, 44, was taken into custody for allegedly engaging in inappropriate chanting after Burnley’s equalizer during the match.
Rawlinson was seen on video making plane gestures to Manchester United fans, a disrespectful reminder of the tragic event in 1958 that claimed the lives of 23 individuals, including eight members of the Busby Babes.
He was also heard shouting “Munich” following Zeki Amdouni’s penalty kick in the 87th minute.
Rawlinson, a resident of Bacup, Lancashire, has been released on bail and will appear in court at a later time according to Great Manchester Police.
In a statement on Sunday afternoon, April 28, Greater Manchester Police issued an update, saying: “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.”
Burnley FC has strongly condemned the “offensive footage” and has promised to collaborate with Manchester United and law enforcement agencies to identify and take legal action against the fans involved.
The club reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on tragedy-related gestures and chanting, stating that such behavior is completely unacceptable.
The club wrote: “We are aware of offensive footage currently circulating on social media from the away end of today’s fixture at Old Trafford.
“Tragedy-related gesturing and chanting is completely unacceptable, and Burnley Football Club takes a zero-tolerance approach.
“We will continue to work with Greater Manchester Police, Lancashire Police, and Manchester United to help identify and prosecute the individuals responsible.”
The Premier League added in a statement: “There is no place for football tragedy abuse in our game.
“We strongly condemn this behavior and sanctions are in place to ensure anybody found guilty faces consequences.
”We continue to treat this as an unacceptable issue and fully support Burnley FC, Manchester United, and the police in identifying and prosecuting those responsible.”
The incidents during the FA Cup match between Manchester United and Liverpool in March highlighted a disturbing trend of fans taunting opponents by referencing tragic disasters like Hillsborough, Heysel, Munich, and the Bradford Fire.
In addition to major disasters, chants have also targeted individual tragedies such as Emiliano Sala’s plane crash, as well as personal losses of players, managers, fans, and even children like Bradley Lowery.
How tragedy chanting can be illegal under the Public Order Act
Football tragedies like Hillsborough or the Munich air disaster (and sometimes non-football-related tragedies) may be referenced disrespectfully in a football context, which could potentially violate the Public Order Act 1986.
Specifically, this behavior may constitute an offense under section 5 (harassment, alarm, or distress) or section 4A (intentional harassment, alarm, or distress) of the Act.
The decision on whether to press charges and what charges to bring, will be based on the specific circumstances of each case.
