LONDON (UK) – Liverpool have condemned the behaviour of fans who thronged Liverpool city centre for the second consecutive night on Friday to celebrate their team’s Premier League title win, urging them to remain at home due to fears of a surge in coronavirus cases.
According to local media reports, fans set off fireworks at the Royal Liver Building, triggering a fire outbreak on the balcony of the landmark owned by Farhad Moshiri, the majority shareholder of the side’s local rivals Everton.
Liverpool’s three-decade wait for their 19th English top-flight title ended on Thursday after second-placed Manchester City were beaten by Chelsea.
Thousands of fans turned up at Anfield stadium on Thursday to celebrate, and Merseyside Police issued a dispersal order on Friday after crowds thronged the city centre near the Mersey Ferry terminal.
“Our city is still in a public health crisis and this behaviour is wholly unacceptable,” Liverpool, Merseyside police and the Liverpool City Council said in a joint statement.
“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.”
Britain has one of the world’s highest death tolls from the novel coronavirus. The country has reported more than 309,000 infections and over 43,400 deaths.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field