Manchester United's official website, ManUtd.com, could be the subject of a police investigation after publishing a hate-filled guide to abusing Liverpool's players and supporters in Spanish.
Considering relations between the two sets of supporters is volatile at the best of times with some fans from both teams being subjected to brutal assaults throughout the years when Liverpool and Manchester United have met, police are thought to believe the decision to publish the article on an official website is particularly irresponsible.
The article appears on the club's official website under the section Fanzone and is billed as "Fanzone presents 'Spanish Scouse-Baiting' as Benitez's Hispanic Liverpool visit Old Trafford".
The article then goes on to explain the Spanish translations for some of the sickest chants directed at Liverpool supporters over the years - including "Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the Scousers on the top", "You find a dead rat and you think it's a treat, in your Liverpool slums" and "Feed the Scousers. Let them know it's Christmas time."
Alongside each English chant and Spanish translation is a picture of Rafael Benitez, Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia and Josemi - implying that it is these four who should be targeted with abuse on Monday night.
While the police may want to talk to someone from Manchester United about the article, it is believed the website editors are under clear instructions from those at the very top to make the content of Fanzone particularly "edgy and controversial" in an attempt to appeal to Manchester United supporters who would rather get their daily fix of United news and comment from one of the many independent websites who have nothing to with the commercial side of the club itself.
While many Manchester United supporters have still not forgiven the club for removing the words 'Football Club' from their badge in 1998 (A decision made during Peter Kenyon's time at Old Trafford because they didn't want their 'brand' to be associated with football when it had become a leisure enterprise which could be linked tonon-footballing matters, such as clothing, media and even other sports such as baseball), articles such as the one that appears on the website today explaining how to abuse Liverpool's players in Spanish, are seen as an attempt to gain some credibility amongst die-hard fans who cringe when they see the likes of mascot Fred the Red.
Here are just a few of the many messages of disgust from Liverpool fans which have flooded in since the official Manchester United website decided to publish the sick feature:
Very poor stuff on an official website. And they wonder why they are the most hated club in the world? Need look no further. Fanzines are different things altogether. I've seen the Man Utd fanzines and they have sunk to lower depths than Liverpool's. However for the official website to come up with discriminatory remarks such as this is a disgrace. Do you see this kind of stuff on our site? No. Do you think that putting songs about throwing Scousers onto fires is showing Man Utd as a great club?
kinetic1978
I can't believe they actually get away with that kind of stuff, with them insults next to the Spanish players' pictures, it could be seen as racist.
don1980
That is an absolute disgrace for the official website. I'm sure the Manchester and Merseyside media would be interested in something like that. Kick racism out of football? For your information, I am not from the city of Liverpool, but if I was, I would certainly be looking at this from Manchester United's Official Website with some level of disgust. Perhaps you should have a word with Mr Bartram to not publish such slanderous material in the future. Despite the mutual rivalry and hatred between both clubs, the representatives of both clubs, from the players down to the website, should be above petty racist rubbish such as this. Or do you think O'Neill and McLeish and their teams' websites should go on about how much they hate Catholics/Protestants, seen as a small section of their fans sing songs about such matters?
ronniewhelanspeg
I wouldn't have bothered if it was an unofficial website. I just find it hard to believe that an OFFICIAL website can post tripe like that.
cusamano
Nothing surprises me at just how low Utd will sink...
sonnycrockett
I thought they might have toned down the "Scouser" bile after signing Rooney.
Josemi-tisam
Personally, I couldn't care less about those songs, heard all those pathetic attempts before and they don't bother me. I just find it staggering that stuff like that is on an official website for a worldwide club. I guess I'm just too used to the top class standards that this club, and everything officially connected with this club, show. I would say the stupidity to put anti-scouse songs on your website after signing a born-and-bred Scouser and having all your fans worshiping him surprised me too.
snez1
no surprise as Manu sink to lower levels, appaling to put that on an official website, when we beat the c.unts on monday night they won't be singing.
FUK MAN UTD, GO THE POOL!
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