Arsenal have handed three supporters three-year bans each after they pleaded guilty to tragedy chanting during a Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) tie against Liverpool.

The Gunners handed out the sentence on Thursday, 21 March, after the fans were charged with a public order offence for their foul words shouted at Emirates Stadium in London, England, in January.

Liverpool have been subject to persistent vile chants about the Hillsborough FA Cup semi-final tragedy, which took place in 1989. At the time, a crush of a large crowd in a fenced-in enclosure led to the deaths of 97 Reds fans.

Over the years, clubs and local authorities have firmly responded to discriminatory taunts in an attempt to stamp out the behaviour.

“We strongly condemn this abhorrent behaviour. We have worked closely with the police to ensure swift action was taken and we welcome the football banning orders handed out,” Arsenal said in a statement via their official website on Thursday.

“We have a zero-tolerance approach to tragedy chanting and will always ensure strong action is taken against those found guilty of such behaviour,” the club added.

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