Leeds and Manchester United condemn ‘unacceptable’ tragedy chants

The Premier League said it was treating “tragedy chanting” as a “matter of urgency” after extremely unsavoury behaviour inside Elland Road by Leeds and Manchester United fans prompted a joint statement of condemnation from the clubs.

Although Erik ten Hag praised the atmosphere during Manchester United’s 2-0 win, he had apparently not heard the chants just before half-time. Leeds supporters sang about the Munich air disaster in 1958 in which eight Manchester United players were among the 23 who died. Travelling fans responded with a similarly moronic song regarding the events of 2000 in Istanbul when two Leeds supporters died.

The clubs’ joint statement described the chanting as “completely unacceptable” and said they would work with their respective fan groups and the Premier League to eradicate it.

The Premier League has a working group on tragedy chanting which also involves clubs, the Football Association, English Football League and Football Supporters’ Association. “The league is treating the issue of tragedy chanting as a priority and as a matter of urgency,” it said.

In a very different context, Leeds’ increasingly urgent hunt for a manager to replace the sacked Jesse Marsch intensified as the caretaker, Michael Skubala, presided over the team’s ninth top-tier game without a win.

Leeds are fourth bottom before Saturday’s trip to relegation rivals Everton, who are one point and one place below them. Manchester United’s win enhanced their chances of a top-four finish. They are five points ahead of fourth-placed Newcastle and seven in front of fifth-placed Tottenham thanks to late goals from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.

A delighted Ten Hag described Rashford as among Europe’s best strikers. “He’s