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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
ALEX YOUNG

Final Hillsborough memorial service postponed due to coronavirus pandemic

The final memorial service to honour those who died in the Hillsborough tragedy has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Anfield was set to host the Hillsborough Family Support Group on the 31st anniversary of the disaster.

But the service - in memory of the 96 supporters who died in the match against Nottingham Forest - has been postponed due to coronavirus.

Players and staff will hold a minute's silence and flags will be flown at half-mast.

Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the group, said the service was due to be the last of its type as the families would remember their loved ones "in their own way" on future anniversaries.

She said: "In light of recent events, a decision was made collectively by the families to postpone our final memorial service at Anfield.

"We wish to keep as many people safe as possible and we believe this is the right approach.

"On behalf of the HFSG, I would like to thank everyone for their understanding in this matter."

Fresh inquests held in 2016 found the 96 men, women and children were unlawfully killed and found that blunders by South Yorkshire's police and ambulance services "caused or contributed to" their deaths, and exonerated Liverpool fans of wrongdoing.

It was announced in February that the families of the victims had decided to hold a last service after former police match commander David Duckenfield was cleared of gross negligence manslaughter following a retrial in November.

Additional reporting by Press Association.

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