Soccer clubs, players and the sport's governing bodies expressed sympathy and support to Liverpool on Monday after a man ploughed a car into a crowd of the team's fans who were celebrating its Premier League title success in the city centre. Twenty-seven people, including four children, were taken to the hospital, with two sustaining serious injuries, emergency services said. Another 20 people were treated at the scene.
Soccer united behind Liverpool, the most decorated men's soccer team in England and a world-famous brand, in an outpouring of messages over social media — including from the club's biggest rivals. “Our thoughts are with Liverpool FC and the city of Liverpool after today's awful incident,” Manchester United, historically Liverpool's fiercest opponent, posted on X.
There were similar sentiments from Everton, Liverpool's neighbour on Merseyside, which said: “Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this serious incident in our city.” The Premier League expressed its shock at the “appalling events" that took place at the end of the team's trophy parade that was attended by hundreds of thousands of scarf-and-flag-waving Liverpool fans.
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“We have been in contact with Liverpool FC and have offered our full support following this serious incident,” the league said. On behalf of the sport's world governing body, FIFA President Gianni Infantino offered thoughts and prayers to everyone affected.
“Football stands together with Liverpool FC and all fans of the club following the horrific incident,” he said in a post on X.
For all its trophies — including a record-tying 20 English top-flight titles and six European Cups — and success, Liverpool is also a club synonymous with tragedy and distress after being involved in deadly stadium disasters at Heysel and Hillsborough in the 1980s.
Liverpool's club anthem — “You'll Never Walk Alone" — was referenced by Kenny Dalglish, its former player and manager, in a post on social media. “Shocked, horrified and deeply saddened about what happened at the end of the parade today,” Dalglish wrote.
“Our anthem,” he added, “has never felt more appropriate, You'll Never Walk Alone. Your Liverpool family are behind you.” Jamie Carragher, another former player and now a leading TV commentator, posted on X: “Devastating end to the day………just pray everyone is ok.” A 53-year-old white British man has been arrested. He was believed to be the only one involved in the incident and it was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, police said.
A 53-year-old British man has been arrested after ploughing his minivan into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans on Monday who were celebrating the team's Premier League championship, police said. There was no immediate word from authorities on how many people were injured. An air ambulance and other emergency vehicles swarmed the scene to respond to reports that multiple pedestrians had been hit.
“It was extremely fast,” said Harry Rashid, who was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters and only several feet away. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.” Liverpool fans had come out in their tens of thousands to celebrate the team winning the Premier League this season for a record-tying 20th top-flight title.
“We heard a frantic beeping ahead, a car flew past me and my mate, people were chasing it and trying to stop him, windows smashed at the back," Jones said. "He then drove into people, police and medics ran past us, and people were being treated on the side of the road.
Merseyside Police said they were trying to establish what led to the incident and asked people not to speculate or share “distressing content online.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was being updated on the situation and thanked police for their quick response.
“The scenes in Liverpool are appalling — my thoughts are with all those injured or affected,” Starmer said.
Liverpool's last league title came in 2020 but supporters were denied the chance to publicly celebrate that trophy due to restrictions in place at the time during the pandemic.
Dancing, scarf-and-flag-waving fans braved wet weather to line the streets and climb up traffic lights to get a view of Liverpool's players who were atop two buses bearing the words “Ours Again.” The hours-long procession — surrounded by a thick layer of police and security — crawled along a 16-km route and through a sea of red smoke and rain. Fireworks exploded from the Royal Liver Building in the heart of the city to seemingly signal the end of the parade. The team issued a short statement saying its thoughts and prayers were with those affected.
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