Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola spoke about Manchester City fans interrupting today's minute silence for Hillsborough victims.
26 years ago today, 97 people went to a football match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. 95 of them died on the day, one died a few days later and the final death came a couple of years later.
Hillsborough is the biggest tragedy in the history of British sport. It has the highest death toll in British sporting history. It was also completely avoidable.
As such, it is an event that must always be remembered and respected.
Liverpool and Manchester City played the FA Cup semi-final today. As was the case last week, the two best club sides in the world produced a phenomenally entertaining game of football. But prior to the game, Manchester City fans forced the minute silence that acknowledged the Hillsborough victims to be cut short.
Only matching Chelsea fans chanting Roman Abramovich's name, City fans booed the moment silence. It's inexplicable. There is no second side to this issue. There is no other point of view. Yet, the specific fans who booed did so out of pure spite against a fan base.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was asked about it after the game by ITV.
"That's of course not nice," Klopp said.
"That's clear, that's not nice. But I heard already City put out a statement about it and that's fine with that. In that moment it was a really strange feeling because I thought there are moments in football where all the rivalries should be put aside. This is one of these moments but you cannot change it.
"I'm pretty sure it was not all of the City supporters."
Klopp was predictably diplomatic and level-headed speaking about another team's fanbase. He explicitly said this group of people did not reflect Manchester City or their wider fanbase.
"It's not about Manchester City, it was a few people who obviously didn't understand the situation."
Pep Guardiola was much less forgiving. Guardiola made it clear in no uncertain terms that those fans do not speak for him or the club he manages.
"Obviously the club made a statement we support [the moment's silence] completely," Guardiola said.
"These people don't represent who we are or who we want to be. And of course we are alongside Liverpool for this tragedy suffered years ago. The minute silence should be done. Again, they don't represent who we are."
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