Response to Mayor Anderson
Spirit of Shankly are angered by comments made by Liverpool City Mayor, Joe Anderson.
The Mayor has chosen to speak out on a hypothetical matter, namechecking Liverpool FC supporters without discussion with those fans or fan groups.
There is no evidence to support the Mayor’s perception that Liverpool supporters will break any lockdown regulations and gather outside of Anfield should football be resumed and played behind closed doors.
LFC, in their statement on the matter, refer to their engagement with supporters’ groups.
SOS raised this issue with the club, back on 13 March, ten days before lockdown began. We agreed then a determination to respect social-distancing measures and, in the event of a resumption of football, we would continue to work together, along with other key stakeholders, in achieving this objective.
Rather than disparaging words about football fans, it would have been more beneficial for the City Mayor to acknowledge the work being done by those same people in easing pressures on the city’s old and vulnerable at this time. SOS alone up to now have delivered more than 1,000 food parcels, and are active partners in helping with the supply of PPE and @SFoodbanks
We ask the Mayor to retract his statement and work with fans to support all during this time of crisis.
Other news
Benfica Away
Champions League Quarter-final Following the announcement of ticket sales for the Champions League quarter-final first leg away to Benfica, to be played on Tuesday 5 April, Spirit of Shankly have been contacted by members and other supporters raising concerns over the planned ticket collection in Lisbon. Many referenced their experiences surrounding the ticket collection in Milan, when LFC played Internazionale in February.. SOS are all too aware that the ticket collection in Milan was a totally negative experience for supporters. Most had to queue for hours, losing a huge swathe of their day on what [...]
NFT Launch
NFT Launch Liverpool FC today launched an official collection of NFTs. In January, Spirit of Shankly attended a two-hour meeting with the club, as part of the revised approach to open engagement, in order to discuss their plans for this new venture. NFTs are a digital phenomenon that have exploded over the past year and we asked them why they were considering a move into this market. We were able to challenge, scrutinise, and question their desire to enter into this. We also raised concerns about financial, environmental sustainability and other risks involved. LFC do [...]
Wembley Semi-Final Travel Chaos
Rail disruption Spirit of Shankly and all Liverpool FC supporters along with City’s 1894 Group and fans of Manchester City FC celebrated on Sunday at reaching the FA Cup semi-final. Yet rather than basking in the anticipation of the match, to be played on Saturday 16 / Sunday 17 April, it was, for all involved, not a case of “We’re on our way to Wembley” but “How will we get to Wembley?” Over the upcoming Easter weekend, when the game is scheduled, there are no trains between Euston and Milton Keynes, meaning there is no [...]
