Margaret Thatcher minute's silence plans would be 'a big mistake'

Teams are expected to honour the victims of the Hillsborough disaster this weekend with a minute's silence. The chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group has said any plans for a minute's silence for Margaret Thatcher at this weekend's football games would be a "big mistake."

Margaret Aspinall has welcomed proposals by Reading, who host Liverpool on Saturday, to honour the victims of the Hillsborough disaster, which marks its 24th anniversary this week, but stressed that she would not support any decision to join tributes to victims of the tragedy with a tribute to the former prime minister, who died on Monday. Neither the Premier League, the Football League nor the Football Association, which presides over Wigan's FA Cup semi-final against Millwall, have asked clubs to hold either a minute's silence or applause.

She said: "It's a terrible thing to speak ill of the dead, I know because it happened to my son and all the Hillsborough victims for 23 years. But if they do hold a minute's silence for Margaret Thatcher, I think they are making a big mistake.
"The fact is a lot of people would break that silence. Margaret Thatcher had contempt for football and its fans, in fact she was in favour of identity cards for all supporters."
In the hours and days which followed the disaster, the then Prime Minister held a number of meetings with police and other officials. It remains a huge matter of concern for the families in their quest for answers that no notes or minutes were ever taken, or have survived if they were, during those meetings.
Mrs Aspinall continued: "There are question marks because we don't know what role she played or what role her staff played, who said what to the prime minister, because nothing was written down, there were no notes, no minutes, nothing at all.

"It was soon after those meetings that the wicked lies appeared in the Sun. This weekend is about remembering 96 people who went to a football game one Saturday afternoon and, through no fault of their own, never came home."
Her comments come after the Wigan chairman Dave Whelan requested a tribute for Baroness Thatcher at his side's FA Cup semi-final against Millwall on Saturday.
The FA's decision to ignore Whelan's pleas has been supported by the Football Supporters' Federation. Individual clubs can decide to make their own gesture, but FSF is behind the decision not to issue a central edict.

"The FSF backs the decision made by the football authorities not to impose a minute's silence across all fixtures this weekend to mark the death of Margaret Thatcher," read the statement.
"Should individual clubs wish to hold a minute's silence or commemorate the passing of Margaret Thatcher in their own manner that is a matter for them.
"We would expect that most fans' thoughts this weekend will turn to the friends and families of those 96 fellow supporters who lost their lives at Hillsborough 24 years ago."

On Tuesday, Reading chairman Sir John Madejski also backed plans for a tribute to the former Prime Minister. "We have got to appreciate that Margaret Thatcher was a world leader who did so much for this country. So much that she deserves a minute's silence," Madejski told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I think it would be a fitting tribute from the world of football to Margaret Thatcher, one of our greatest leaders."

Reflecting on the possibility of a silence being spoiled by dissenting factions, he added: "Obviously I can appreciate that perhaps some people won't pay attention to it, which is sometimes the way at football, but I just think she was such a colossus in terms of the world stage that she deserves that respect from the whole nation."