Manchester United condemn Shinji Kagawa chant after fans sing racially offensive song about Pearl Harbour, Incident took place at a pub next to Old Trafford on Saturday ahead of the Premier League victory over Brighton and Hove Albion
A section of United fans were filmed singing before last Saturday’s Premier League match with Brighton and Hove Albion, in which they are heard to make reference to the bombing of Pearl Harbour during the Second World War.
The incident is the second time this season that United supporters have been involved in a racially abusive or racial stereotyping chant, following the song about Romelu Lukaku that was banned by the club earlier this season due to a reference about the size of his penis.
This latest chant, which was caught on a camera phone and posted to social media, appears to have taken place at The Tollgate Pub near Old Trafford.
A large number of fans are heard to sing: “His name is Shinji, Shinji, Shinji! His second name’s Kagawa, Kagawa, Kagawa! He’s Carrick midfield partner, partner, partner! His grandad bombed Pearl Harbour, Pearl Harbour, Pearl Harbour!”
When contacted by The Independent, anti-racism group Kick It Out said: “Kick It Out made contact with Manchester United earlier this season in relation to a chant supporters sung towards striker Romelu Lukaku. This was to express the organisation’s concerns about potential racist stereotyping towards Lukaku and the club have since asked supporters to stop using the chant.
“Clubs across the whole of England have sections of supporters who engage in discriminatory behaviour either at football matches or away from stadiums. This behaviour needs to be identified and dealt with appropriately by the relevant authorities.
“Kick It Out was unaware of the footage highlighted by The Independent of Manchester United supporters chanting a song towards former player Shinji Kagawa, which uses racial stereotypes. The organisation would expect the club to investigate the footage and punish any supporters found guilty of racist behaviour.”
It’s believed that 2,403 people died in the 1941 Japanese bombing of the US Navy base in Hawaii, which led to the United States of America entering the Second World War. More than 2,000 navy personnel were killed in the attack, with 68 civilians also among the fatalities. A further 1,143 people were wounded during the bombings, while 64 Japanese servicemen also died.
Kagawa played for United from 2012 until 2014, making 57 appearances and scoring six goals before returning to Borussia Dortmund after failing to settle in the Premier League under managers Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes.
When contacted by The Independent, a Manchester United spokesman said: “We are unaware of this chant but it is clearly in very poor taste. We are sure that the vast majority of fans will not find this chant appropriate.”
