Contributed
One of the football clubs that has millions of supporters around the globe is Liverpool. The fan base of Liverpool F.C. is around two hundred million people throughout the world. They are known for opening more than two hundred LFC Official Supporters Clubs in over fifty countries. “Spirit of Shankly” is one of the most notable groups. The club played the matches in the presence of 1.01k spectators in Michigan, U.S., and 95k spectators in Melbourne, Australia. The fans of Liverpool F.C. are often called Kopites, i.e., ones who stood up and now are sitting on the Anfield Kop. There was a splinter club formed in the year 2008 by some fans, and they named it A.F.C. Liverpool. This was the team that assembled to play football matches for the fans who could not buy Liverpool tickets and visit the Premier League football matches due to the high prices.
Team rivalry and legendary opponents of the Liverpool F.C.
The longest rivals of the Liverpool F.C. are the fellow Liverpool team named Everton. The teams contest with each other in the Merseyside derby. The rivalries root from the formation of the Liverpool F.C. and the dispute between the officials of Everton and the Anfield owners. There has been noticeable rivalry among the teams since mid of 1980 both on the field and off the field. With the Premier League inception in the year 1992, the players of the Merseyside derby were sent off many times. This is what made the players and fans more undisciplined throughout the Premier League matches.
Another rival for Liverpool F.C. is Manchester United. Roots of this rivalry are growing from the 19th century in the reign of the Industrial Revolution. The Manchester United vs Liverpool tickets were sold for a high price. The clubs alternately won the championship title in 1964 and 1967. However, Manchester United was proclaimed as the first English team to win the European Cup in the year 1968.
Four European Cup victories for Liverpool followed the championship wins. Both teams, Manchester United and Liverpool grabbed rare success during the same period. Manchester United did not win the title for 26 years at a stretch, whereas Liverpool won it two times in the 1970s and 1980s. Manchester United was successful in the Premier League matches, whereas Liverpool was unable to grab the trophy. Both these rivals have the third and the second places five times in the Premier League since then.
According to the statement of Alex Ferguson, the former manager of Manchester United, in 2002, their most significant challenge was to face Liverpool and knock them out of the league. Theку was also a player who was transferred among the clubs – Phil Chisnall who was bought by Liverpool club from Manchester United in 1964.
Fan support for Liverpool F.C.
There were several disasters in the stadiums caused by the fans of the Liverpool F.C., and among all, there were two renowned tragedies that took place. The primary accident took place in 1985 in the Heysel Stadium (Brussels, Belgium) where the match was played between Liverpool and Juventus. The rage of the Liverpool fans caused the death of thirty-nine Juventus fans. These people were put to a corner by the Liverpool fans, and due to the weight of the fans, the wall collapsed.
The UEFA laid the blame down on the Liverpool fans, and this led to the banishment of all English clubs from playing on any football competitions for the next five years. There was also an additional one-year ban on the Liverpool team. This prevented Liverpool F.C. from participating in the European Cup held in the year 1990-1991. There were twenty-seven fans put under suspicion and arrested under the charge of the manslaughter. These fans were extradited to face the trial to Belgium. In 1987, they received three-year sentences each after serving Belgium five-month trial.
The second tragedy took place in 1989 on April 15th during the semi-final of the FA Cup played between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool in the Hillsborough Stadium (England, Sheffield). 96 deaths of the Liverpool fans were reported due to overcrowding at the end of the Leppings Lane. It was reported on the article “The Truth” on The Sun newspaper that the dead were robbed and urinated on by other fans who attacked the police that was trying to take control of the situation. There were investigations according to which the allegations were claimed to be false. These allegations lead to the boycott of the newspaper by the fans of Liverpool. After 20 years of the incident, The Sun is still refused by the Liverpool fans at major locations of the city.
Final Word
An integral part of British football culture, Liverpool F.C. undoubtedly received immense historical success. The primary edition of the BBC Match of the Day was dedicated to the Liverpool club and their match against Arsenal on August 22nd, 1964, at Anfield. A match between West Ham United and Liverpool was proclaimed to be the first match in color television broadcasted live in March 1967. Liverpool has been one of the most successful clubs in football history, and there are legends about the team fans.
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