Dalglish Wants FA Investigated

Kenny Dalglish has called for a full inquiry into the Football Association's responsibilities in the Hillsborough tragedy to be sure there has not been a 'cover up'.

Ninety-six people were killed at the stadium disaster at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

A recent report from the Hillsborough Independent Panel found the response to the disaster from South Yorkshire police was seriously flawed.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is now to carry out its own investigation but Dalglish also wants the FA, as English football's governing body, to be examined for insisting the match be played at Hillsborough when there were already safety concerns.

Dalglish, who was in his first spell as Liverpool manager at the time of the tragedy, said in the Daily Mirror: "What I want to know now is when is the FA going to face up to its responsibilities, too?

"I'm not talking about the apology it made last month - an apology that was a long time coming and which took them two attempts to produce properly.

"I'm talking about issues like why we have never had a full explanation of why the FA insisted the game should be played at Hillsborough."

Dalglish thinks former FA chief executive Graham Kelly, in particular, should come under scrutiny.

"I am not talking about punishing the people in power at the moment," said the Scot.

"But surely, as the game's governing body, they have to take responsibility for the way their organization acted in the past.

"It has taken a long, long time for a lot of organizations to face up to what they did in 1989 and now it's the FA's turn as well.

"What has happened to Graham Kelly, for instance? Is there no-one who can go and talk to him about why the FA acted as they did?

"Kelly had become chief executive of the FA in 1989. It would be helpful to hear his explanations for the organization’s actions.

"There has, quite rightly, been a lot of talk about the accountability of the police over the tragedy. Why has nobody really mentioned the FA?

"It would be very interesting for someone to sit down with Mr. Kelly and make sure the FA are not involved in a big cover-up here as well."