Topman Remove '96' Shirt from Sale, Apologise After Liverpool Supporter Backlash

Clothing retailer Topman have apologised and withdrawn a T-shirt from sale after complaints from Liverpool fans that it referenced the Hillsborough tragedy.

Per the BBC, Topman said in a statement: "Topman apologises unreservedly for any offence caused by this T-shirt. The design was inspired by a Bob Marley track with the number referring to the year of re-release. The garment has been removed from sale online and in stores."

BBC Sport shared a picture of the shirt:

The red T-shirt bore the number 96 on its back, above the text "What goes around comes back around," while the word "karma" is written on the sleeve. The text referenced lyrics from Marley's "What Goes Around Comes Around," which was re-released in 1996.

Wirral South MP Alison McGovern was among those who called for the shirt to be taken down:

Dan Kay and Jenny Kirkham of the Liverpool Echo also took issue with the garment:

On April 15 1989, 96 people died when overcrowding caused Liverpool fans to be crushed at the start of the Reds' FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough in Sheffield.

In April 2016, inquests confirmed the supporters were unlawfully killed in the disaster as a result of police failures, defects in the stadium and a delayed response from emergency services.

Louise Brookes, whose brother Andrew was killed at Hillsborough aged 26, said the phrases included on the shirt were aimed at Liverpool fans. She believed it was in reference to the Heysel disaster, in which 39 people died at the 1985 European Cup final between the Reds and Juventus after a crush resulted in a wall collapsing at the stadium in Brussels, Belgium.

Most of the 39 dead were Juventus fans, and tensions have been clear between the two fanbases in subsequent meetings between the teams.

"People will use it now as a way of antagonising Liverpool fans," Brookes added. "Our 96 were decent human beings who did nothing wrong. How would people feel if it was their loved ones being mocked?"

Topman have also received an extensive backlash from supporters on Twitter, with the shirt described as "unbelievably insensitive" and an "absolute disgrace."