Philip Townsend, the director of communications at Old Trafford: "We have gone on the record - several times - about this disgusting chant. We don't condone it and have appealed to fans several times in the past - through supporters' groups, the matchday programme and MUTV, but to no avail. There are many chants that opposing fans find objectionable, and this is certainly one to which all decent supporters should object."
Ferguson: "They [the police] should be stepping in. But Manchester United and its supporters should also know very well the chants that have been levelled at us over the years - ie, songs about Munich [air disaster] - and understand the sensitivity that is felt by members of this club. I don't agree with it at all. There's enough to think about and admire in the game without resorting to denigrating people."