The world of soccer has erupted from Liverpool winning the Premier League title after 30 years. Their 23-point lead on Manchester City let the team win early. Jurgen Klopp and the team have been celebrating in a secrete base, while fans have taken to the streets to celebrate. However, these celebrations could leave Liverpool to be banned from playing any more home games.
There are only three more home games for Liverpool. The first being Aston Villa on July 5, followed by Burnley then Chelsea. The team has planned on presenting the trophy during their last home game against Chelsea.
Due to the large gathering of celebrations in the streets, Liverpool could lose its Safety Certificate revoked according to The Sun. The local Ground Safety Advisory group would have to take the certificate away since there has been violence and vandalism during the fan gatherings. If this were to happen the team would have to present the trophy at a neutral venue.
The team along with the Merseyside Police, City Council and Mayor Joe Anderson condemned public fan celebrations due to the pandemic. There were only 544 reported cases on June 12 and that has risen to 1,677 as of June 25.
Despite the heavy advisory from the authorities and the team, thousands still gathered in the city center.
On Thursday, there were around five thousand people to celebrate at Anfield before the police shut the streets down. There were police vans and uniformed officers, but it was a peaceful celebration. However, people couldn’t social distance.
The celebrations continued into Friday but became violent. There was a larger crowd of people as well as lots of trash left behind on the streets.
People gathered at Liver Building, a historic building in the city, to celebrate. However, it turned violent quickly. There was a short video clip of someone lighting the building on fire after aiming a firework at it.
This action raised anger within the authorities. But the lack of safety in social distancing caused them to speak out.
“Throughout the last week, Liverpool Football Club, Merseyside Police, Liverpool City Council and Spirit of Shankly have worked together to consistently remind people that the region is still disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and ask people to celebrate LFC’s Premier League title win safely.
“Several thousand people turned up at the Pier Head on Friday, June 26 and some chose to ignore the social distancing guidance and risk public safety.
“Our city is still in a public health crisis and this behavior is wholly unacceptable.
“The potential danger of a second peak of Covid-19 still exists and we need to work together to make sure we don’t undo everything that has been achieved as a region during lockdown.
“When it is safe to do so, we will all work together to arrange a victory parade when everyone can come together to celebrate.
“Until that time, the safety of our city and our people continues to be our number one priority.”
There was a total of 15 arrests for “violent disorder”. There were several injuries, vandalism and other kinds of violence. Police attempted to clear the streets. It was reported that the Police helicopter was out at 2 a.m. attempting to clear the crowd. There were also some ambulances on site, for the injuries.
A Dispersal Order have been given to the police. This allows them to disperse large gatherings.
“Those who gathered last night have potentially increased the danger of a further rise in the pandemic. In addition, the actions of the minority were not only irresponsible, but also criminal,” Merseyside Police Chief Constable Andy Cooke said.
“It is tarnishing the reputation of our city and Liverpool Football Club.
“Last night children and families were present alongside others, and heavy handed police intervention was therefore not appropriate at the time.
“Later on in the night, 15 people were arrested for violent disorder and my officers were subjected to a number of violent confrontations. This is not acceptable.”
The violent public celebrations must stop to ensure the safety of everyone. If it can’t happen then there will be no choice but to ban Liverpool from playing any more home games.
