Liverpool have confirmed they are working with Merseyside Police and Spanish authorities after fans were filmed pushing two individuals into a fountain in Barcelona, before one appeared to be subjected to a racist insult.
Liverpool fans are in the Catalan city ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League semi-final first leg and two videos have emerged on social media which show individuals pushing people into a fountain while onlookers laughed.
The first of the two videos filmed at Barcelona’s Plaza Reial shows a man in a blue fleece – who the Liverpool Echo identifies as a Liverpool fan – tipping a local selling red cans into the ‘Fountain of Three Graces’.
Image via Twitter
A separate clip circulating on social media shows a different individual emerging from the fountain, before a racist insult was directed at him by another member of the crowd passing by.
Liverpool have issued an official statement and chief executive Peter Moore used his personal Twitter account to urge fans to treat the city of Barcelona with respect.
“We proudly sing that we’ve conquered all of Europe,” Moore wrote. “But let’s treat this beautiful city with the respect that it deserves, and act in a manner that is befitting of LFC.
“By all means have a good time, but we are Liverpool, and as such, let’s visit here with grace and humility.”
The club statement read: “Liverpool Football Club is working with Merseyside Police and the authorities in Spain, who are endeavouring to identify those involved in the incident.
“Such behaviour is clearly totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further while the situation is ongoing other than to confirm the club will follow due process in any and all cases of this nature.”
The statement has been criticised for failing to make explicit reference to the incident or racially abusive remark, but Liverpool say they felt it would be “inappropriate to comment further”.
The @LFC statement is pathetic, doesn't even specify what it's referring to @PeterMooreLFC pic.twitter.com/wX3q6IQNCE
— Rik Sharma (@riksharma_) May 1, 2019
Merseyside Police superintendent Paul White added: “We want to reassure the public that we can act on incidents using British Law and we will take action.”
Spanish football journalist and pundit Guillem Balague also used Twitter to plead with Liverpool fans to ‘look after’ his ‘beautiful city’.
He wrote: “Honestly? LFC fans!! I know it’s only some of you but please… Do you need to do all this? Do you? Is that what you do home? Come on, guys and girls, look after my beautiful city. Or tell the others to look after it…. Please.”
Many Liverpool fans have condemned the video on social media, urging the club to issue stadium bans.
“Please identify this man and refuse him entry from the stadium tomorrow, he is an embarrassment to our great European following,” wrote @TheAnfieldTalk in a post directed at Moore and Liverpool’s supporter liaison officer that was retweeted 1,700 times.