Touching Tom Lockyer moment showed Luton are better than vile Hillsborough chant
In the aftermath of the emotion unleashed by a stunning equaliser from Luis Diaz, it was easy to forget a miserable contribution from some Luton fans on Sunday afternoon.
Diaz displayed a huge reservoir of mental strength, given his father was still being held captive in the Colombian mountains, to even be at Kenilworth Road, let alone come off the bench to score a massive goal for Liverpool. It was a special moment, recognised not just by his team-mates, but by the Luton skipper Tom Lockyer, who showed real grace and class to go over to the Reds forward and hug him, in a show of solidarity.
Lockyer must have been hurting himself at coming so close to claiming such a famous victory, that would not only have gone down in the annals of club history, but also perhaps given his team vital momentum at a critical stage of the season. Yet he thought not of his own pain, but the far greater, far more serious distress of Diaz, who was clearly hurting as he displayed a t-shirt under his match jersey, with the plaintiff cry: "Freedom for my dad".
A pity, then, that this genuine and touching gesture was undermined by some Luton supporters, who - as Reds boss Jurgen Klopp suggested afterwards - shamed themselves with some vile, despicable and inexplicable tragedy chanting.
Lockyer showed just how football can rise above rivalry to come together and offer support when it matters. He showed the real heart of his club, the sense of dignity which impressive young manager Rob Edwards has instilled at this vibrant club.
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Sadly, some Luton fans didn’t. A vocal minority indirectly used the tragedy of Hillsborough to take a cheap shot at their rival supporters in the away end. And given what that means when you strip it down, it just makes no sense at all.
Klopp put it simply: "Shame on them." And speaking after the game, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher also offered an intelligent, and astute examination of what those chants really mean. "The world we live in right now, I think we’re better than that. Football fans are better than that," he said, with a sense of baffled hurt.
Luton ARE better than that. Edwards always conducts himself with passion and dignity, and so do his team, who are trying to go the right way about the near impossible task of staying in the Premier League. Their performance against a high-flying Liverpool side was the best face of that attitude, a wonderful display of their commitment, but also of their professionalism and sense of fair play.
Nottingham Forest fans held up a banner to support the victims of the Hillsborough disaster (Getty Images)What's your opinion on the matter? Let us know in the comments below!
They didn’t kick the visitors off the park, they didn’t resort to violent tactics, as their one booking in the entire game perfectly illustrates. And it’s a pity a certain section of their support didn’t recognise that, and show a similar amount of dignity. When your team is not resorting to the baser elements even when they are facing an unequal fight, then follow that lead. Don’t tarnish that reputation.
The Luton fans admirably produced a proper passionate football atmosphere on Sunday, but it was tainted by those chants. It is what we will now remember of the support, and the club doesn’t deserve that.
As Carragher suggested, these are worrying times. There are extreme right wing elements in the world trying to bring about the downfall of civilised society, trying to undermine the fabric of justice and community that must underpin all modern democracy.
Justice is the key word here. Football fans the world over should be rallying together to fight for justice over Hillsborough, and importantly, to ensure it doesn’t happen again... as it almost did in Paris a little over a year ago at the Champions League final.
Those Luton fans need to pick their heads up and look around a little, as Carragher suggested. To Gaza, where innocent people are being massacred, while the world watches on without barely a comment, never mind an intervention.
Look at that wonderful footballer Diaz, who is clearly respected by the Luton players, and their admirable captain. Look at the togetherness that gesture at the end so vividly captured. And look at themselves. Because Klopp is right. It is shameful, and there is no place for such absurd sentiments in football any more.
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