A man believed to be a Manchester City supporter has been arrested for allegedly mocking the Munich air disaster during the derby clash with Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday (Mar 3) night. 

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The man, caught on camera, standing in the stadium was seen making an aeroplane gesture with arms, seemingly towards the United fans sitting in the away section. The video of his actions quickly went viral on social media with netizens demanding the authorities punish him. 

After the match, the Manchester Police released a statement, informing that the man had been arrested. 

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“During the Manchester derby, officers arrested a man on suspicion of tragedy chanting. Following reports made in the crowd, the man was promptly arrested by our officers,” read the statement. 

The two teams locked horns in the all-important derby game where United were thrashed by City as Pep Guardiola’s side continued their quest of winning an unprecedented fourth Premier League title on the trot. 

What is the Munich air disaster?

The Munich air disaster took place on February 6, 1958, and is regarded as one of the most chilling incidents in world football. The catastrophe claimed the lives of 23 people, including United players popularly referred to as ‘Busby Babes’. 

The fatal crash took place while the United team was returning from a European Cup quarter-final game against Red Star Belgrade in what was then Yugoslavia. The plane skidded off the runway in Munich before crashing into a perimeter fence, and then into a nearby house.

What does the law say?

After a petition signed by more than 17,000 people, the UK government in 2023 acknowledged that the current legislation can be used to prosecute ‘offenders chanting or shouting about tragedies and death at football matches’.

“The Government is committed to tackling all harmful behaviours at football matches. Existing legislation can be used to prosecute those engaging in chanting about tragedies and death at football. Existing law can be used to prosecute offenders chanting or shouting about tragedies and death at football matches,” the British government said. 

“The Public Order Act 1986 (POA) provides for situations where threatening or abusive language can meet the threshold for arrest and prosecution,” it added. 

Notably, there have been repeated instances of opposition fans mocking a team for the tragedies. The fans of Liverpool Football Club (LFC) are routinely subjected to tragedy chants related to the Hillsborough disaster in which 97 Liverpool fans lost their lives. 

Similarly, poverty chants remain a blot on English football where fans, often in unison, mock the poverty of the city the football club belongs to. 

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