Liverpool have written to Luton Town for details over their handling of tragedy chanting from fans as the fallout from Sunday's 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road goes on.
And the club have also offered to work with Sunday's opponents ahead of their next meeting in an effort to educate those unaware about the meaning behind 'Always the Victims' chant that was aired across the ground at the weekend.
In what was the Reds' first trip to Luton in the league since 1991, supporters in the home ends sang a song that has connotations to the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 that eventually took the lives of 97 Liverpool supporters.
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The chanting was immediately slammed by Jamie Carragher on co-commentary duty for Sky Sports at the time with Jurgen Klopp later saying the songs brought "shame" on those who took part.
The ECHO understands Liverpool have offered to work with Luton around education ahead of the return fixture at Anfield in February after asking for details on their protocols that are in place to limit such chanting. The Reds are also keen to know what action will be taken for those found to have taken part in a chant that continues to have a deep impact on those affected by the April 1989 tragedy.
The Football Association confirmed on Monday they are in dialogue with the newly-promoted Premier League side over the incidents and the Hatters themselves released an apology later that day for those who were offended by the actions of their supporters at Kenilworth Road.
“Luton Town Football Club is saddened by reports of inappropriate chanting towards Liverpool supporters during yesterday’s Premier League fixture at Kenilworth Road,” read the Luton statement.
“While we do not wish to dampen the atmosphere at our home ground in any way, we are extremely disappointed that a small number of supporters soured the occasion with chants that may be interpreted as being in relation to tragedies that have affected Liverpool FC in the past.
“The club condemns any kind of chanting that knowingly seeks to divide, and our safety and security team launched an internal investigation at the earliest opportunity.
“What has quickly become evident is that a number of people may have taken part without knowledge that the words used were in relation to the Hillsborough and Heysel tragedies, and we see the route to persuading supporters not to repeat these chants in future is through communication and education."
Luton are reviewing the CCTV footage available to them and say they will speak to witnesses to identify the individuals responsible and those found to be chanting could face banning orders or even criminal prosecutions. It's also been reported that Bedfordshire Police are in discussions with Luton over the day's events.
“The eyes of the world are upon us in the Premier League, which we are all learning quickly to adapt to, and we have to remind our supporters that you are all ambassadors of the club and it is your responsibility to behave according to the rules of the ground," their statement added. "This includes understanding the songs that cannot be sung in line with the Love Football, Protect The Game campaign.
"On behalf of all at Luton Town, we would like to wholeheartedly apologise to anyone offended by the chants heard during yesterday’s match, and will continue to work with supporter groups to educate fans on chants that are classed as tragedy abuse by football authorities, the police and CPS."
However, suggestions in the statement that some fans might have been unaware as to what the chant specifically refers to have been viewed dimly in Liverpool circles with many airing their disappointment with Luton's communication on Monday evening across social media.
The FA said: “We are aware of the tragedy chanting during yesterday’s Premier League fixture between Luton Town and Liverpool, and we are seeking further observations from Luton Town and further detail from the police.
“We strongly condemn chanting of this nature and will continue to work closely with our stakeholders across the game, including the clubs, leagues, fan groups and the relevant authorities to proactively address the issue.”
The Premier League added: “We continue to treat this as an unacceptable issue and are committed to addressing it as a priority. Those found guilty of tragedy-related abuse face an automatic club ban and will be referred to the police."
Writing in his ECHO column on Monday, former Reds striker John Aldridge criticised the behaviour of Luton fans on the day, saying: "Obviously I was deeply involved in what happened at Hillsborough and it just sickens me.
"It puts it into perspective that most of them won't even know what they're singing about, they've just seen other teams come to Anfield singing the same songs on the internet. They copy knowing it'll get a rise out of us when most of them weren't even born, so it is just a disgrace and I'm sick of it.
"I said the same about eight months ago, but Liverpool fans, when you see somebody singing these songs take a picture or video of them, of where they're sitting, because on the internet the clubs know each and every single person sitting in each seat, then they get a lifetime ban or possibly more."
