Hillsborough Charity refuses donation.

[Gromit]

Liverpool FC Refuse to play any football fixtures on April 15th, the anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy. It is unusual for a team to dictate to the FA when they will play. It can also cause problems for opponents, who find they may have to play games closer together, to accommodate Liverpool FCs stance.

On some obscure football TV channel, comedian Alan Davis questioned Liverpool's refusal to play. He pointed out that they are happy to play on the anniversay of the Heysal tragedy. He also pointed out that Manchester United play on the anniversary of the Munich disaster and Rangers on the anniversary of the Ibrox Stadium disaster.

This caused a backlash, and Davis tried to make amends by offering to give £1000 to the Hillsborough charity. But they refuse to accept the money.

Are they right in not accepting the donation?

http://www.dailymail....refuses-donation.html

[mrs_overall]

Yes, Hillsborough was a tragedy and it is right and proper that it should not be forgotten.
(This is where I start getting death threats.......)I think Liverpudlians love a good drama and refusing to play rather than play and say have a minutes silence or whatever on the day, shows their streak of martyrdom

[jomifl]

The main lesson from the Hillsborough tragedy is that nothing is free, including getting into a football match for nothing.

[joko]

Just to point out, for people comparing HB to the heysal disaster and asking why liverpudlians dont grieve for it in the same way -

it is simply because 96 liverpudlians did not die at heysal,
and 700-odd other liverpudlians were not injured at heysal
and thousands of other liverpudlians did not watch the events unfold in horror and fear that their loved ones were dead or injured at heysal
and thousands of extended family and friends did not lose loved ones at heysal
all the victims at heysal were from the other side...i daresay their families and friends hold memorials every year in their country.

thats why there isnt the same level of grief for heysal.
it simply is no comparison

[ummmm]

We watched this tragedy, live on TV!!!

[Zeuhl]

Just to correct jomifl

<<The main lesson from the Hillsborough tragedy>>

according to the official enquiry

was that the police needed better training, better procedures and better leadership

[Zeuhl]

.

The official inquiry into the disaster, the Taylor Report, concluded that "the main reason for the disaster was the failure of police control."

.

[Old_Geezer]

Based on your OP and having not used your link yet; the managers of the charity appear to be obviously nuts, and unfit for their position, having refused to accept a donation that need not have been offered in the first place. But the longer I stay in this world the more I think insanity is the guiding force behind it. But lucky Alan, he made a gesture and didn't have to pay anything. The only question is why was there a backlas... oh yes, the insanity thing again isn't it; silly me. Still: I expect not playing on the 15th of April will make everything alright and bring back those who died. Must be some reason for the refusal after all.

[joko]

there is also the 'justice' campaigning that has continued for 23 years, with many fighting and fighting to get the truth.

and there are the ones who were there who are still traumatised, have post traumatic stress, nightmares etc

it affects liverpudlians in a way heysal never did

the players know this, that it wounded liverpool deeply - more than any other tragedy of recent times - and i think it is a tribute to them as a team that they value the fans so much to make this decision.

[Zeuhl]

Didn't Steven Gerrard's 10 year old cousin die at Hillsborough?

[joko]

2shortplanks - i agree - i think his comments were just because he doesnt realise the affect it had on liverpool and that his comments would upset so many and had he left it at that, i think many would have just let it pass...

but... he exacerbated it by making sarcastic insults

he doesnt deserve all these threats - but he is an idiot for carrying this on

[jomifl]

Zeuhl, I saw it unfold on TV too. The police may well have been inadequately trained to deal with an over-excited crowd, but it wasn't the police that caused the problem, I didn't notice police stampeding and trampling people to death, it was Liverpudlians, but I don't think they are ready to admit it yet.

[joko]

jomilf - i agree that there was fault on both sides, and people accept that, but only a small fraction of fans were causing the trouble...the rest were victims

[cathfromsaron]

they shouldn't need an apology!

he is making a fair point and they should have broader shoulders anyway!

[joko]

i actually cannot truly 'imagine' how it could have happened really to be honest...

in any crowd of people, there has to be an 'edge' - a place where the people stop - so how did a small group of fans manage to create such force against others to cause such a crush? and why?... they must have just been shoving and shoving to get through... they obviously did not realise the danger and carnage at the front and just wanted to get to the front - or theyd surely have stopped... and when they did realise, then what did they do?
it is a pity they did not have proper CCTV to find out who those people were...
its bizarre.

[jomifl]

Joko, that is how I saw it too, most of the fans were victims in one way or another, unfortunately victims of a few of their more unruly fellow fans, who got away scot free after the blame was diverted onto the police.

[joko]

i think there was no way of knowing which fans pushed... so hard to catch anyone..how would it be proved?

they will know though - and it will be on their conscience forever.