Manchester City expressed regret to the family of the late Sir Bobby Charlton after a video surfaced, revealing their fans singing a distasteful chant concerning the Manchester United legend, who passed away at the age of 86.
The football world mourned the loss of the iconic figure, who had represented both Manchester United and the England national team. Sir Bobby Charlton’s passing on Saturday, September 21st, marked a somber moment for the sport.
However, Manchester City’s supporters faced heavy criticism for their behavior during the club’s 2-1 victory over Brighton during the weekend.
A video circulated on social media showed a group of fans donned in Manchester City attire chanting ‘Bobby’s in a box’ at the Etihad Stadium.
In response, Manchester City issued an official apology to the Charlton family and sought assistance from the public to identify those involved in the offensive chants, pledging to issue banning orders accordingly.
The official statement from the club read:
“Manchester City FC is extremely disappointed to have learned of reports of offensive chanting from a small number of individuals about Sir Bobby Charlton in some of the concourses of the Etihad Stadium during half-time of yesterday’s Premier League fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion.
The club condemns these chants in the strongest terms and apologizes unreservedly to the family and friends of Sir Bobby, and to all those at Manchester United.
“On this day of all days, when the stadium stood to pay tribute to our own legend in Francis Lee, Manchester City supporters should understand and appreciate as keenly as anyone the need for respect in our game. Our security team is studying CCTV footage of the concourse areas.
“We are thankful to those who have already come forward to report this matter, and we continue to appeal for any information that can help us identify the individuals involved, so that we can take the appropriate action to issue banning orders.
“Fans who see or hear abusive behavior are encouraged to text 0770 0151 894 to make our dedicated security team aware of what they have witnessed.”
Sir Bobby Charlton’s illustrious career included 758 games and 249 goals for Manchester United over a 17-year period. He also earned 106 caps for the England national team, finding the net 49 times.
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