Mon Apr 22, 2019 4:46 pm
Football website forced to apologise for baseless and harmful report on Liverpool fans at Cardiff
Jack Lusby
22 April 2019
A prominent football website has been forced to issue a decidedly halfhearted apology after reporting claims made against Liverpool fans at Cardiff on Sunday.
It was alleged that travelling Reds at the weekend’s 2-0 win directed a chant at deceased Cardiff striker Emiliano Sala, who lost his life flying to south Wales from Nantes in January.
This stemmed from a Twitter user with the handle @lilduckcity, who claimed fans sang “Sala’s in the sea, in the sea, Sala’s in the sea,” while another, @SaucySterIing, described their behaviour as a “disgrace.”
CaughtOffside picked this up and, without corroboration, reported that “a few people on Twitter” suggested Liverpool supporters had “embarrassed themselves by mocking the accident.”
“It’s worth noting that despite initial claims from a few accounts on Twitter, there does not seem to have been further mention of anything untoward going on,” editor-in-chief Mark Brus wrote, but the damage was already done.
CARDIFF, WALES - Saturday, April 20, 2019: Former Liverpool player John Toshack watches with his son Cameron along with LFC's chief executive officer Peter Moore and actor Michael Sheen during the FA Premier League match between Cardiff City FC and Liverpool FC at the Cardiff City Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
These claims were refuted by fans of both clubs in attendance, and Liverpool CEO Peter Moore, who was at the game, contacted CaughtOffside directly to discuss the report.