Action needed over Hillsborough chants says police chief after public apology

Action is needed to tackle “disgusting” football chants about the Hillsborough disaster, a police chief has said.

Martin Hewitt, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) chairman, was asked about the rise in offensive chants about the tragedy during a press conference.

He said: “It is disgusting and action needs to be taken to stop people doing that.”

“There are a number of challenges with the kind of chants that you get at football.

“Every football match we’ll have match commanders and we’ll be making sure that stewards are aware and stewards or police will deal with issues, but it is worrying that this is occurring.

“That will be a matter for match commanders, whether it’s at Anfield or any other stadium, to deal with and then working with the security regime, with the club, with the stewards and then the police that are on duty.”

It comes after police leaders apologised to the Hillsborough families for the first time in 33 years.

They said sorry on behalf of all 43 police forces in England and Wales, in response to a report published by the former Bishop of Liverpool James Jones in November 2017.

In 2022 the Football Association (FA) expressed concerns about a rise in the frequency of chants about the disaster.

The association said it supported efforts to stamp out the behaviour but could not sanction clubs because it only has jurisdiction under its rules to act on discriminatory chanting.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...