Editor’s Column: City’s disgusting statement on ‘Victims’ song sums up classless, cheating club

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One of the nice things about writing for a blog like Empire of the Kop and not a publication that claims to be neutral is that we can often write emotionally.

This makes us biased – which is in many ways our appeal. We write as Liverpool fans, for Liverpool fans. It’s not propaganda (we have no affiliation to the club and criticise when necessary), but we are effectively flying Liverpool’s flag to a large audience.

But let’s make this clear: our opinion and reaction to Manchester City’s statement on the video of their players singing about Liverpool’s ‘victims’ being ‘battered in the streets,’ is not biased or viewed through red-tinted glasses.

You can read it, here.

We’re angry, and we think we’re 100% entitled to be so.

Unashamedly, City haven’t apologised and claimed, “Any suggestion the lyrics relate to Sean Cox or the Hillsborough tragedy is entirely without foundation.”

Despite having just won the title, City were filmed on a celebratory plane singing this song one day after securing the Premier League.

The lyrics are:

All the way to Kiev,
To end up in defeat,
Crying in the stands,
And Battered on the streets.
Kompany injured Salah,
Victims of it all,
Sterling won the double,
The Scousers won fuck all!

Yep. They’re genuinely refusing to accept any correlation between the word ‘victims’ and Hillsbrough, despite it literally emerging from the tragedy as a stick to beat our people with. Boris Johnson famously referred to Liverpudlians as ‘victims’ in 2004 – directly referencing Hillsbrough in his next paragraph.

For City to claim there is no relationship between the insult and the event begs the question, ‘Well what does it mean, then…?’ 

We still haven’t heard a viable explanation.

But while they can hide behind the ambiguity of the victims slur, we simply cannot fathom how they can suggest a line about fans being ‘battered in the streets’ is appropriate for their PLAYERS to sing with glee.

‘Nah, it’s not about Sean Cox – it’s about the other Liverpool fans who got beaten up in Kiev, lads…’

Oh right, sound!

In March, City fan Paul Worth was left fighting for his life after being assaulted by German fans in Schalke. Thankfully, Worth is recovering now and out of his coma – like Cox.

BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE THE OUTRAGE IF LIVERPOOL WON THE PREMIER LEAGUE, THEN CELEBRATED ON A PLANE WITH A SONG THAT POTENTIALLY MENTIONED HIS INCIDENT?!

Not a bunch of idiot fans, which every club has, but the ACTUAL FREAKIN’ PLAYERS?!

It’s blindingly obviously inappropriate for a team’s players to sing a song about fans getting battered in the street. The fact City have acknowledged this and released a statement saying it’s ok is bordering on farcical.

There’s another line about Kompany injuring Salah, by the way. That’s a real line in their new version of the song, which previously mentioned Sergio Ramos instead. And City, having seen this footage, have responded with a statement that says there is nothing wrong with their PLAYERS singing it.

They ought to be ashamed of themselves.

But why are we surprised? This is a club owned by people who have a direct relationship with the horrific human rights abuses of The UAE and are currently under investigation for financially doping the club and cheating FFP.

We actually feel sorry for City’s genuine fans; the ones who’ve been going for years – who now have to blindly attach themselves to what’s quite clearly indefensible.

Rant over.

 

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