Reports have emerged that a Manchester City fan threw a brick at Liverpool’s team bus as it left the Etihad Stadium, causing damage to a window. The incident occurred after City’s 4-1 win over Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday. The match was a crucial one for both teams, with City looking to boost their title chances and Liverpool hoping to keep their top-four hopes alive. The incident is believed to be in retaliation for Liverpool fans throwing objects at City’s bus during a game between the two sides earlier this season.
The Athletic reported that a minority of City supporters were involved in the attack, and that no one on board the bus was injured. Greater Manchester Police have launched an investigation into the incident. City have condemned the attack on Liverpool’s team bus and also criticised supporters who sang “inappropriate chants” aimed at Liverpool fans during the match.
In a statement on their website, City said: “Manchester City FC has been made aware that Liverpool FC’s coach sustained damage on its return journey following today’s game. We understand an object was thrown towards the coach in a residential area. Incidents of this kind are totally unacceptable, and we strongly condemn the actions of the individual(s) responsible. We will fully support Greater Manchester Police’s investigation into this incident in any way we can.”
The statement continued: “Additionally, the Club is disappointed to have heard inappropriate chants from home fans during the game today. We regret any offence these chants may have caused and will continue to work with supporter groups and officials from both clubs to eradicate hateful chanting from this fixture.”
Liverpool are yet to comment publicly on the incident.
The incident is the latest in a series of incidents involving football fans in recent years. In 2018, Liverpool fans threw objects at City’s bus ahead of a Champions League quarter-final match between the two sides. The incident caused damage to the bus and delayed kick-off by 45 minutes. In 2019, a Tottenham fan threw a banana skin at Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during a Premier League match between the two sides. The fan was subsequently banned from football matches for four years.
Football authorities have been criticised for their handling of incidents involving fans. In 2019, Manchester United defender Ashley Young was racially abused by a fan during a match against Juventus in the Champions League. UEFA, the governing body of European football, was criticised for its response to the incident, with some commentators suggesting that fines and stadium bans were not enough to deter fans from engaging in abusive behaviour.
In recent years, football clubs have taken steps to tackle abusive behaviour by fans. Many clubs have introduced initiatives aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion, while others have launched campaigns to encourage fans to report incidents of abuse. However, some critics argue that more needs to be done to tackle the problem, including tougher sanctions for fans who engage in abusive behaviour.