Police issue dispersal order for Liverpool fans celebrating at Anfield

A month after securing their first Premier League title in 30 years, Liverpool FC finally lifted the trophy at The Kop stand in Anfield last night. Unfortunately, police were forced to issue a dispersal order after thousands of fans flocked to the stadium to celebrate despite repeated warnings about the risks posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As if the scenes from last month were not enough, Liverpool fans continued to flout restrictions against mass gatherings as they arrived in droves to celebrate the title. Hundreds of fans gathered outside the stadium to greet the players as they arrived to receive the trophy from club legend Sir Kenny Dalglish. The crowd ballooned up to the thousands later in the evening.

While Anfield itself was empty, the scenes outside were very different. flares and fireworks were set off once again and thousands of fans forced police to take action. The 48-hour dispersal order was issued in an attempt to prevent any potential disorder. Needless to say, it was also meant help prevent a cluster outbreak. The question is, how effective was it?

Sadly, based on photos shared by Liverpool City Council, it seems that a dangerous number of people were able to come out and celebrate. Unfortunately, the dispersal order only gives police officers the power to send home those who are "suspected of causing or likely to cause crime, nuisance or anti-social behaviour" for a period of 48 hours.

Those who are peacefully celebrating were therefore allowed to stay. The city council and the police can do nothing more than to remind them to practice social distancing. Over Twitter, Merseyside police and the City Council made feeble attempts to remind fans that the best view of the trophy presentation would be via their television sets at home.

In the end, no one could stop the supporters who came out to celebrate. Not everyone wore face masks and others even brought their children with them. Despite the dispersal order, some fans attempted to climb the gates at Anfield and a massive number of people remained in the area.