Updated at 15.48
LIVERPOOL FC HAVE banned The Sun over the newspaper’s infamous Hillsborough coverage.
According to The Independent, the tabloid’s reporters’ press accreditations will no longer be approved, thus preventing them from covering any future matches at Anfield, while The Guardian reports that reporters from the paper will also be prohibited from entering the club’s training ground in Melwood.
In the wake of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster – a human crush at the stadium in which 96 supporters died and 766 were injured – the paper ran a front-page story, under the headline ‘The Truth,’ which quoted anonymous authority figures falsely suggesting Liverpool fans “picked pockets of victims,” “urinated on cops” and beat up policemen, among other inaccurate claims.
The controversy led to a widespread boycott of the paper in Liverpool, which has largely been adhered to up to the present day.
The newspaper’s claims were later discredited, prompting the publication’s former editor, Kelvin MacKenzie, to issue an apology for the story, in 2012 – 23 years after the initial controversy.
It is understood that the ban has been finally implemented after a Hillsborough inquest last April definitively ruled that the 96 victims were unlawfully killed.
Liverpool fans and most notably, The ‘Total Eclipse of The S*n’ group, have long campaigned for further action to be taken against the paper.
The Guardian reports that the subsequent decision was ultimately taken by the club’s Boston-based owners following discussions with relatives of those who died in the tragedy.
The Sun have issued a statement in response to the ban, which reads: “The Sun and Liverpool FC have had a solid working relationship for the 28 years since the Hillsborough tragedy. Banning journalists from a club is bad for fans and bad for football. The Sun can reassure readers this won’t affect our full football coverage.
The Sun deeply regrets its reporting of the tragic events at Hillsborough and understands the damage caused by those reports is still felt by many in the city. A new generation of journalists on the paper congratulate the families on the hard fought victory they have achieved through the inquest. It is to their credit that the truth has emerged and, whilst we can’t undo the damage done, we would like to further a dialogue with the city and to show that the paper has respect for the people of Liverpool.”
Apparent signs of what was to come can be traced as far back as last August, after Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp refused to answer a question by one of the paper’s reporters.
“I don’t talk with The Sun anymore. I don’t speak with The Sun anymore. You can listen,” Klopp said at the time.
“It’s not because I’m with Liverpool now. It’s because of a few things that will happen in the next few days or few weeks, I don’t know.
“It’s not personal. You’re still working for The Sun, right? That’s it. You can listen and you can write what you want.”
Meanwhile, The Liverpool Echo reports that an Everton supporters’ group have called on their club to follow suit and ban the newspaper’s reporters from attending matches and training sessions.
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GUTTER NEWSPAPER. ALWAYS WAS
@Michael cunnane:
That’s no way to talk about the Journal, Michael.
Completely agree.. delighted Liverpool have done this, this so-called “newspaper” was always a comic at best…mind ya, it was more interesting reading the beano !!
They should have been banned the day after the story was run, not 28 years later. McKenzie is nothing but a shite editor and the lowest kind of a human being. Hopefully the fans sue this rag and clean them out for millions.
@Michael J: read the story. The guy that usually reported at Liverpool offered to resign. Liverpool respected him, not the rag.
Unfortunately, their northern cousins were more than happy to trust the Sun on Brexit.
Good.
All other football clubs should do the same..
Why did it take 28 yrs ??
I would imagine they couldn’t ban them legally till they were proved to have lied .
‘They’ are dead or long retired. Who are they punishing here?
@Alex Olsen: Though the people may be gone, I rag still acts the same way, and the editor is still around… all clubs should follow suit…
Especially Everton I’d say. Fair enough if the editor is still there I suppose.
@Alex Olsen: Everton, Liverpool, splits families in two….
But the city uniting for Thai?
*this
Completely agree…didn’t think I would ever agree with you…seriously though a gutter press comic at best…
@Alex Olsen: thai food is not bad. But yes, Liverpool, Everton, very close knit, both deep rooted in same community.
Proper order.
Good news. I wouldn’t even wipe my arse with the Sun, let alone read it.
I think all clubs & fans of football should show their support for Liverpool in this action. The Sun should be banned from every club until close season. It might be the beginning of some real truthful reporting from what is a trash publication
And other sporting organizations should join them in the ban.
Brilliant news . Well done Liverpool .
The shite they wrote that day was pathetic and the fact they never even said sorry made it ten times worse. One paper I can say I never ever bought.
Didn’t they say sorry? Maybe check that…
They reported fake news and their reputation is in tatters. Let that be a lesson to other publications.
That’s the ticket.
Pathetic.
Bet youd think different if you knew somebody affected.
Would be annoyed it took this long.
Still taking millions in Murdoch money from sky
should they withdraw from the league?
Why what was printed on Murdochs money that caused offence?
This is a campaign against the sun not any individual or corporation
Going by your thinking they should boycott any product advertised in the sun
You should check out if that is the case . Liverpool get their money from the premier league not sky .
Great news.
The Sun were initially told they can come back “when hell freezes over”, but since then Liverpools owners have changed that to “when we win the league” which is less likely to ever happen.
@martina: i wonder what will happen first . United win the European cup again or Liverpool win the league
2 more times and united catch Liverpool
@bmul: your good at maths…
And you’re good at spelling
Like that’s going to happen, ha ha
Ahahahaahhhahahahahah
JF96
It always was toilet paper with words on it. Wouldn’t wipe my ar5e with it tho.
Why now?
Wouldn’t be anything to do with The Sun’s headline after liverpools defeat to hull?
Tigers 2-0 Pussies.
@Thommo show some class . Even try
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sn-liverpool-took-28-years-12587844.amp
This is a good explainer.
Marcus,
I’m not defending them in any way. They’re a disgusting paper. Always have been. Just wondering about the timing.
@Thommo’s Big Nose:
This action seems to have been taken after meetings with families. When the verdict was released stating that fan were unlawfully killed and were blameless the sun and times didn’t publish it as a headline but rather tucked away somewhere. That probably would have been a time for them to dedicate the front page to the verdict along with an apology.
Big nose, I think the timing could be to do with the fact that the owners are under pressure for their investment in the team and hope this gets them back onside with the fans
Fair points lads. It’s a strange one though in my opinion. Should have been done decades ago.
I’m surprised this rag didn’t go the same way as the news of the world…
Next, The Express and The Mail.
ah, leave next magazine out of it.
The Mail has been judged too makey-uppy to use as a source by Wikipedia. Think about that.
Gutter paper. Anyone who buys it has the IQ of a nut anyway. Apologies to the pool fans but I will be keeping my sky though. As much as it drives me mad too
@Teddyzigzagbigbag: you need to do your research on Kodi and IPtV….
Why?
@Teddyzigzagbigbag: all the free footie you could imagine….
@Teddyzigzagbigbag: set kodi up properly you will get everything actually….
Firstrowir.eu works for me
Great news dirty rag never have never buy the S*n
Brilliant piece of media manipulation …. divert attention away from bad results … however The Sun is a vile newspaper and the lies they printed about Liverpool supporters after Hillsborough was a disgrace and disgusting
That headline was the only and only time “The Truth” has ever appeared in that rag of a newspaper, and even that was a lie.
The Sun, the only paper where the more you wipe your a**e with it, the less s**t is on the paper…
@Alan Roddy: something to which Paul Dunne mocks openly here. ‘Thetruth’ . Man Utd fans should know better, they have suffered terrible tragedy too.
#jtf39
What negative effects does this have for Liverpool? Like is there anything actually stopping all the other clubs doing the same?
Good question. If The Sun loses access to other clubs, it would have to reprint gossip as opposed to inside information. Without club sources, our guess as to what’s going on are as good as theirs. So they would lose the people who buy The Sun for the sport i.e. everyone. Then it’s goodbye Sun
Disgusting wa@#ker
@Cb2010: as you said, justice was served and swiftly. So what the fck is your point? Has anyone served time over Hillsborough? You total fckn idiot.
Should of been banned years ago along with members of LFC staff who still to this day claim it was 96 Liverpool fans that died that day, when in fact it wasn’t..should work both ways
We say Justice For The 96, not Justice For The 95 Who Died That Day Plus The One Who Suffered Irreversible Brain Damage And Had His Life Support Machine Switched Off A Few Years Later, because that’s too long
You f@cking low life c@nt