Ex-Premier League referee lambasts ‘disgraceful’ Liverpool fans as FA urged to take action
Keith Hackett has slammed the “disgraceful” Liverpool fans who booed Prince William ahead of their 6-5 victory on penalties against Chelsea in Saturday’s (14 May) FA Cup final.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Fifa and Premier League referee claimed the FA “suits” will have been embarrassed by the actions of Liverpool fans.
Prince William, who is president of the FA, was loudly jeered when introduced to the crowd ahead of kick-off at Wembley.
As relayed by the Daily Mail on Sunday (15 May), the speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle condemned Liverpool fans and former culture secretary and Conservative MP Karen Bradley urged the FA to take action against them.
“Ultimately at the end of the day, it was disgraceful,” Hackett told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“No matter what your political persuasion is, here is a man who loves football, we know he’s an Aston Villa fan. He’d spent time this week with someone who is terminally ill with cancer to award her a damehood, it’s disgraceful.
“But how does the FA take action? We live in a society where we have freedom of speech.
“I think it harms the reputation of Liverpool. This type of behaviour is unacceptable and it spoils the occasion.
“I have no doubt at the time, the suits who represent football across the country will have been embarrassed by that. Anybody in football with a degree of sense will have been embarrassed.
“Liverpool is a club that when I refereed at Anfield in the days of Bill Shankly, Roy Evans, Bob Paisley and the like, they were very professional in their approach. The chairman, John Smith, always used to come down and say ‘Hello and welcome to Liverpool’.
“I just listened to that and thought it was appalling.”
In other news, Kieran Maguire has revealed Liverpool are set to miss out on a £4million-a-year boost amid ‘uproar’ from their rivals.