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Fury as flare is placed on Dixie Dean statue outside Goodison Park

There is fury on social media during Monday evening as a flare is seemingly placed on the Dixie Dean statue outside Goodison Park.

Footage was uploaded showing a red flare placed in the arms of a memorial commemorating one of the greatest players of his generation.

The statue of Dean was unveiled outside the stadium back in May 2001 and then a year later, he became one of 22 players inducted into the inaugural English Football Hall of Fame.

Dean was the first Everton player to wear the number-9 shirt, which in later years would become iconic at the club.

Dean died on the 1st of March 1980 at the age of 73 after suffering a heart attack at Everton’s ground whilst watching a match against their closest rivals, Liverpool. It was the first time that Dean had visited Goodison Park in several years, due to ill health.

The mindless act, which has gone viral on Twitter, comes over a week since Liverpool fans set fire to a building after launching fireworks.

The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, uploaded a clip of the violence and said that 300 fans ‘fought for over two hours’ with police before it all subsided.

More than 1,000 fans gathered in the city centre and police confirmed 15 arrests were made.

A video also emerged showing Liverpool fans throwing missiles at police and shoving officers whilst celebrating the Premier League title win.

Anderson said he was left disgusting as well as heartbroken by what he was seeing and believes the ‘mindless behaviour’ has damaged the city’s reputation.

The video shows police being pushed and struck by objects after having one man restrained on the floor. Towards the end, some individuals step in to help the police and diffuse the situation.

In a statement, Chief Constable Andy Cooke said: “One man was arrested for assault after another man suffered head injuries. The injured male was taken to hospital where he remains in a serious condition. Two officers also suffered minor injuries after missiles were thrown at them by people in the crowd.

“The crowds dispersed from the Pier Head at around 1:30am. But soon after there were reports of further crowd issues in other parts of the city centre. Officers intervened but again missiles were thrown at them.

“In total 15 people, at the Pier Head and in the city centre, were arrested for various offences including public order offences, drunk and disorderly and affray.”

The gatherings, including the one outside Anfield after the league title was confirmed, have been condemned with an anger at the disregard for social distancing rules amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Jamie Carragher was spotted mixing in with supporters, which has provoked Twitter users to get him sacked by Sky Sports.

“I cannot stress enough that these gatherings put an unnecessary strain on our emergency services and could mean that we might not be able to get to other people who really need us,’ Cooke added.

“In the coming days we will be reviewing CCTV and Body Worn Camera footage to identify those involved in criminal and anti social behaviour and we will be issuing images through the media to find those responsible. I would urge anyone who has any information about those involved to contact us.

“We are still in a public health crisis and we need to work together with the public of Merseyside to prevent the further spread of Covid-19.’

After sharing the video, Mayor Anderson added in the police statement: “An occasion for celebration has been turned instead into headlines of disgraceful behaviour.

“Our city is, rightly, proud of the phenomenal success of one of our football teams. But the time for public celebration in crowds is not now. Our city remains in the grip of a major public health crisis and this behaviour is wholly unacceptable. Let me be clear – lives are at risk.

“Seeing thousands of people congregating at the Pier Head into the early hours and the ugly scenes shared on social media afterwards was heartbreaking to see. Fireworks, flares and tons of litter, amount to nothing but disrespect for our city.

“This mindless behaviour has the potential to damage Liverpool’s reputation – both the club’s and the city. I don’t believe this is how the team would like their achievement to be remembered.”

Liverpool Football Club put out a joint statement: “Several thousand people turned up at the Pier Head on Friday June 26 and some chose to ignore the social distancing guidance and risk public safety.

“Our city is still in a public health crisis and this behaviour is wholly unacceptable.

“The potential danger of a second peak of Covid-19 still exists and we need to work together to make sure we don’t undo everything that has been achieved as a region during lockdown.

“When it is safe to do so, we will all work together to arrange a victory parade when everyone can come together to celebrate. Until that time, the safety of our city and our people continues to be our number one priority.”

As mentioned, there was fury on social media as a flare was placed on the Dixie Dean statue outside Goodison Park, see what fans had to say below…

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