Education key in ongoing fight against tragedy chanting

As a new season gets underway, football fans across the country are being urged to support efforts to eradicate tragedy chanting from the game.

Three years ago, the Crown Prosecution Service issued new guidance setting out how tragedy chanting at football matches in England and Wales could lead to prosecution under existing legislation.

The guidance followed a string of incidents in which games were marred by a minority of supporters using past tragedies to antagonise opposition fans. Hillsborough songs targeting Liverpool supporters aren’t the only chants that linger on and should be consigned to the past.

Supporters have also been heard singing about the Munich air disaster, the Bradford City fire and the deaths of Leeds United fans in Istanbul.

Leeds United supporter Gareth Senior said, “As Leeds supporters, we know all too well that football tragedies leave scars that never fully disappear.

“The deaths of our fans in Istanbul remain deeply painful for many people connected to our club, just as Hillsborough, Munich and Bradford continue to affect other football communities.

“Rivalry is part of what makes football special, but using loss of life as a weapon against fellow supporters has no place in our game.

“Most fans understand that, and we all have a responsibility to challenge tragedy chanting when we hear it and help create a culture of respect for those who are still living with the consequences of these events.”

Work ongoing

Most supporters are appalled by tragedy chanting, which is why the FSA has been developing its work in this area over the past three years.

FSA National Council member Joe Blott has been leading that work, building support among football’s key stakeholders, including the FA, leagues, police and clubs, as well as MPs.

Joe believes supporters must show leadership on tragedy chanting, but says a unified, cross-football approach is vital. Tackling the problem cannot be left to clubs, leagues or associations alone.

“As supporters, generally we police ourselves well,” he said. “Without supporters on board, we will be stuck with this toxicity. Efforts against tragedy chanting have to be supporter-led.

“Tragedy chanting can land you in serious trouble, including convictions and banning orders, but we don’t want to see football fans criminalised. That’s why education ahead of the season is so important.”

Despite high-profile arrests and referrals to education programmes, tragedy chanting remains a problem. Last season, the issue came to the fore following incidents at a number of high-profile fixtures.

Joe said: “I was disappointed by the chants from a minority of supporters at some games – it’s all so unnecessary.

“We appreciate that many of these tragedies happened a long time ago — 37 years ago in the case of Hillsborough. That may seem like ancient history to some supporters, particularly younger fans, but there are still survivors, bereaved families and others directly affected by what happened.

“This is why education is so important for our younger and future generations.”

Charlotte Hennessy, whose father Jimmy died in the 1989 disaster and is one of the co-founders of the Hillsborough Law Now campaign group, agreed that young supporters in particular need to avoid getting caught up in tragedy chanting at the match.

“A message we have for the younger generation is that criminal convictions have life long lasting effects, particularly on your reputation, career and opportunities,” Charlotte said. “Is it really worth being tarnished for the rest of your life? No.

“The suffering and torment of survivors and bereaved families is not football banter. Enjoy the game, there are many who no longer can.”

The weight of those historical disasters still matters and the passing of the Hillsborough Law through the House of Commons demonstrates the ongoing importance to families and survivors.

“Chants about Hillsborough and other disasters still hurt,” Joe says. “We don’t want to water down our rivalries. We want to keep the passion, but when it comes to football’s tragedies, we’re asking for empathy.

“You can call a Kopite a gobshite, but calling them murderers is way over the line.”

The Bradford City fire memorial in 2015 © Alamy

Education key

The FSA believes in education, rehabilitation and restorative justice, which is why it continues to work with partner organisations such as Kick It Out to help supporters change their behaviour and avoid entering the criminal justice system.

“We want to make it clear to people that their words matter,” Joe said. “They can have a real impact on others and real-life consequences.

“Education, awareness and rehabilitation will do the majority of the work, but legislation remains available for the worst cases, where prosecution is the appropriate response.”

Across the 2026–27 season, the FSA will continue to monitor tragedy chanting while building on its multi-agency work across football. The working group established between the Premier League, EFL, FA and FSA will continue to develop education and communications campaigns, as well as potential sanctioning policies, to help tackle the issue.

“Supporters have led the way so far,” Joe said. “And we will continue to show leadership on this.”

If you would like to know more about the FSA’s work in this area, contact [email protected]

What do the leagues and FA say?

The FA:

“Everyone should be aware that it is no longer acceptable to sing these vile chants, and — if you do — not only will you feel the outrage from fellow fans who have had enough of it, you will feel the full force of the law and are likely to end up in prison or with a football banning order.”

The Premier League:

“Tragedy abuse is vile, offensive and has no place in football. It causes real pain and distress to survivors, bereaved families and supporters still living with the consequences of some of the game’s darkest moments. While the overwhelming majority of fans condemn this behaviour, a minority continue to engage in it and we are clear that it is completely unacceptable.

“We will continue to work closely with our clubs and the authorities to take robust action against those responsible. Anyone found to have engaged in tragedy abuse, whether in stadiums or online, faces serious consequences, including stadium bans, eviction from matches and potential criminal prosecution. Alongside enforcement, we will continue to support education and awareness initiatives to help eradicate this behaviour from the game for good.”

The EFL:

“Football tragedy abuse causes real distress to the victims’ families, survivors and affected-club supporters. We stand firm alongside Clubs, the Premier League, The FA and supporters’ groups in working to tackle it both in stadiums and online, while also working to educate supporters on the serious consequences facing the very small minority that continue to blight the game with it.”