Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Kop’s destroying everything we hold dear
FANS MOUNT PROTEST BY TAKING DOWN ICONIC BANNERS AROUND ANFIELD AS ’05 LEGEND DIDI HAMANN DECLARES: CLUB MUST NOT PUT GREED BEFORE LOYAL SUPPORTERS
I can speak from working at Manchester United for such a long time. The last thing United would try to do is jeopardise the relationship with the fans. I know that for a fact WAYNE ROONEY
ours not theirs. Our football
LIVERPOOL fans vented club is ours not theirs.”
their anger against the Liverpool supporters hung
club’s involvement in the black banners outside Anfield
European Super League yesterday in response to the
by demanding their move by the club to join the
banners are removed cash-laden closed shop
from the Kop. competition.
Reds captain One such banner Jordan Henderson read “Shame on You. lifted the Premier RIP LFC 1892-2021”. League trophy in Didi Hamann the famous stand (left) believes nine months ago, Liverpool should take surrounded by the You may as down the Bill supporters’ Shankly statue
well tear
tributes. (below) at Anfield
down the
But now a after signing up for
Shankly
leading fans’ group, the Super League. Spion Kop 1902, has The former
statue
requested the club Reds midfielder remove their believes the move banners and flags to go with 11 other from the stand European super ahead of this powers is a mark of weekend’s clash greed and not what with Newcastle. the club stands for.
It is expected the Hamann, who club will allow them spent seven years at to remove them after the club between 1999 the group declared the move and 2006, also reckons it is “greedy”. against the spirit of Shankly,
A statement from the fan the club icon who group read: “We, along with steered the other groups involved in Merseysiders to the flags, will be removing our top of English flags from The Kop. football in the 1960s
“We feel we can no longer and 70s. “Signing up give our support to a club for the Super league which puts financial greed is against everything above integrity of the game. that Liverpool
“The new format is a stands for,” said blatant plan for the beneficial Hamann. clubs to seize even more “If this is where power and revenue from an the club wants to go already lucrative business you may as well tear model. the Shankly statue
“Owners, clubs, down that is behind management. Do you really the Kop because care about the clubs’ best Liverpool Football interests, or just the bank Club always stood accounts? for helping each
“I think we already know other, sticking the answer but now is time to together and being think of years of tradition, there for the people. and do the right thing.” “I’m not surprised
The Spirit of Shankly fan by it because the greed shown group also hit out at the club’s by some of the big clubs is American owners, Fenway evident, especially in recent Sports Group. They said: months. They should listen to “FSG have ignored fans in the fans. It is about time their relentless and greedy football fans got their football pursuit of money. Football is clubs back.”