Police charge Burnley fan, 44, arrested for tragedy chanting after he was spotted 'mocking the Munich air disaster with sick plane gestures' during draw with Man United at Old Trafford

A Burnley supporter has been charged by police for tragedy chanting during their match against Manchester United on Saturday.

Footage was posted on social media following Burnley's 1-1 draw against Man United on Saturday.

Clarets supporters celebrated Zeki Amdouni equaliser from the penalty spot in the 87th minute at Old Trafford.

One supporter was seen apparently making aeroplane gestures with his arms towards Man United fans and appeared to say the word 'Munich'.

The gesture appears to be in reference to the 1958 Munich Air Disaster, in which 23 people died on their way home from a European match, including many members of the Man United team nicknamed the 'Busby Babes'. 

Greater Manchester Police confirmed to Mail Sport that Nathan Rawlinson had been charged after being arrest at Old Trafford on Saturday.

'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,' a Greater Manchester Police statement read.

'This charge is after our Specialist Operational football investigation team made an arrest of a man in the away section of the Old Trafford crowd who was tragedy chanting yesterday (Saturday 27 April 2024) towards the end of the Manchester United v Burnley fixture.

'As we have enforced recently, continued incidents of tragedy chanting by anyone will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.

'We understand the interest this case will have generated but it is imperative that the suspect has a fair trial so members of the public must refrain from engaging in conversations online, at least until proceedings have concluded. 

'Previously circulated videos should be removed.'

Burnley issued a statement on Saturday night condemning the 'offensive footage', with the club vowing to work with Man United and police to identify and prosecute fans involved.

'We are aware of offensive footage currently circulating on social media from the away end of today’s fixture at Old Trafford,' a Burnley statement read.

'Tragedy related gesturing and chanting is completely unacceptable, and Burnley Football Club take 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.'

Two supporters were arrested on suspicion of tragedy chanting during the FA Cup match between Man United and Liverpool at Old Trafford in March.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed a man was arrested after United fans were heard singing 'always the victims, it's never your fault', 'The Sun was right – you're murderers'.

An FA spokesman said: ‘We strongly condemn any offensive, abusive and discriminatory chants in football stadiums, and we are determined to stamp this behaviour out.

'It is entirely unacceptable and can have a lasting and damaging impact on people and communities within our game. It must stop, and we support any club and their fans who try to eradicate this from the terraces.'

Three United supporters, meanwhile, were arrested earlier this year following chants relating to Hillsborough when the two sides met at Anfield in December.

Last month, Mail Sport revealed that three Arsenal supporters part of the Ashburton Army each received a three-year football banning order for tragedy chanting relating to the Hillsborough disaster during the Gunners' FA Cup third round defeat to Liverpool in January

Football authorities and police have been attempting a major crackdown on tragedy chanting and last June, Premier League teams came together to agree new measures for tackling the rise in tragedy-related chanting at matches.

Man United and Liverpool have since joined forces to educate schoolchildren about the impact of the Munich and Hillsborough disasters, with managers Erik ten Hag and Jurgen Klopp calling for an end to tragedy chanting ahead of Liverpool's visit to Old Trafford earlier this month.

The incidents during the FA Cup tie in March were  the latest example of fans taunting opponents by mocking major disasters such as Hillsborough, Heysel, Munich and the Bradford Fire. 

Luton fans were heard chanting 'always the victims, it's never your fault' during a game at Kenilworth Road in November last year, Liverpool felt compelled to contact the club after it failed to immediately issue a statement condemning them.

Luton later said it was 'saddened' by the incident and threatened to ban anyone involved.

Other chants reference individual tragedies, such as the death of striker Emiliano Sala in a plane crash, or private losses of players, managers or fans - even extending to the death of children such as Sunderland cancer victim Bradley Lowery.

In January, police arrested two Millwall supporters after they appeared to mock the death of former Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a 2018 air crash by making helicopter gestures.

Two months later, a Manchester City supporter was seen appearing to make an aeroplane gesture in the direction of visiting United fans in an apparent reference to the Munich plane crash during the Manchester derby.

New guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service means chanting about tragedies can be classed as a criminal offence under the Public Order Act 1986, which outlaws behaviour in public that intentionally causes 'alarm or distress'.

Football clubs and officials are backing the crackdown by issuing stadium bans and football banning orders to fans caught tragedy chanting, as well as by passing CCTV footage over to the police.