A football fan has been charged with a public order offence after allegedly mocking the Munich air disaster while celebrating a goal against Manchester United.
Nathan Rawlinson, 44, was arrested over alleged “tragedy chanting” after Burnley’s late equaliser in Saturday’s Premier League draw.
Videos online show a man seemingly making plane gestures at Old Trafford fans — a reference to the 1958 disaster that killed 23, including eight Busby Babes.
The fan also appeared to shout “Munich” after Zeki Amdouni’s 87th-minute penalty.
Rawlinson, of Bacup, Lancs, has been bailed to face court at a later date.
Burnley previously condemned the “offensive footage” and vowed to work with Man United and police to identify and prosecute fans involved.
The club said: “We are aware of offensive footage currently circulating on social media from the away end of today’s fixture at Old Trafford.
“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.”
The Premier League added in a statement: “There is no place for football tragedy abuse in our game.
“We strongly condemn this behaviour and sanctions are in place to ensure anybody found guilty faces consequences.
”We continue to treat this as an unacceptable issue and fully support Burnley FC, Manchester United and the police in identifying and prosecuting those responsible.”
– This article first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission