Husband of murdered Michaela ‘sickened’ by Liverpool’s island deal
JOHN McAreavey, whose wife Michaela was murdered while on honeymoon in Mauritius, has said he was sickened by a partnership between the country’s tourism authority and Liverpool Football Club.
Evoking the Hillsborough stadium tragedy, the former Tyrone footballer asked if the club’s campaigns for justice were just ‘empty platitudes’.
And he called on Liverpool to reconsider the deal, as he believes the Mauritians could not guarantee the safety of tourists.
Michaela, the daughter of Tyrone GAA manager Mickey Harte, was killed at a luxury resort on the Indian Ocean island in January 2011. The 27-year-old was found strangled in the bath of her hotel suite after returning alone to her room after lunch. Two hotel workers were acquitted of her murder.
Mr McAreavey posted on Twitter that the newly announced partnership between English Premier League champions Liverpool and Mauritius’s tourism authorities was ‘really disappointing’.
Tagging Liverpool and the prime minister of the country, Pravind Jugnauth, in his post, Mr McAreavey said: ‘Mauritius can’t guarantee tourists’ safety and have complete disregard for victims of murder. I have huge respect for @LFC as a club, for everything they stand for and how they have pursued justice for their own people for so long. Seeing this makes me feel sick.’
On BBC Radio Ulster’s Talkback show, he said: ‘When I heard this announcement last night, it actually made me feel sick to my stomach, and I don’t use that term lightly. I can understand how these partnerships come about. My problem is with how Mauritius market themselves, and obviously want to encourage as many tourists as possible to their country – without dealing with problems that can arise.
‘Now obviously in my instance, nearly ten years ago, the worst thing ever happened, and that is not to say it is going to re-occur.
‘But what didn’t happen afterwards was justice, and the way the whole investigation was handled, and the subsequent follow-up from the police authorities, from the prosecution, from the government ministers. They have just completely disregarded the feelings of myself and the other family members. So I think that they need to be accountable for what has happened in the past, before they enter into partnerships like this with Liverpool.’
Liverpool FC said it is building on an existing tourism and economic development partnership with Mauritius, noting that it already has an academy on the island. But Mr McAreavey said Liverpool was known not only for its football prowess, but for how it had campaigned for justice around the Hillsborough disaster, a stadium crush in 1989 which claimed the loves of 96 Liverpool fans.
He said: ‘They are a club that seek out truth and justice, and that is what I have been doing for near on ten years.’ He said Liverpool described itself as a family club, and had the famous motto, ‘You’ll never walk alone’.
‘Are they just empty platitudes, or do they actually have substance?’ he asked. ‘What I would like to know from Liverpool, and I’m hoping to find out once I write to them, is are they aware of what has happened here? This is something that has happened to tourists like those which Mauritius is trying to encourage.’
Liverpool confirmed on its website that it had launched a global partnership with the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and the Economic Development Board Mauritius.
The three-year deal will see the country become the club’s official tourism and economic development partner, benefiting from a range of LFC digital, social media and marketing assets.
Billy Hogan, managing director and chief commercial officer at Liverpool, said: ‘We have a large, passionate fan base in Mauritius, and we’re pleased to be able to bring our supporters closer to the club through this partnership.
‘We look forward to working with Mauritius Tourism and its Economic Development Board to support their ambition to further establish the country as a leading tourist destination and economic forum,’ he added.
‘It made me feel sick to my stomach’
‘Seek out truth and justice’