The Liverpool banned the British tabloid from the press stands of its Anfield stadium and its facilities for its coverage of the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989, a source close to the matter confirmed to AFP on Friday.

In April 1989, 96 Liverpool fans died in a crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.

Four days after the tragedy, The Sun had dedicated its front page to what happened, with an article entitled "The Truth", in which it claimed to reveal how Reds fans had attacked the police and looted the victims of the crush, which is considered the greatest tragedy in British sport.

In 2012, official investigations found these claims to be completely false and part of an attempt by the police to cover up their mistakes on the day of the tragedy.

In April 2016, a jury determined that the deaths of the 96 fans were not accidental, pointing to police failures, accused of trying to cover up the device's failures and bury the case as quickly as possible.

The newspaper The Sun, which has a daily circulation of 1.7 million copies, deemed the Liverpool's ban "not good for football".

The tabloid stated that it "deeply regrets" the article in question and acknowledges "the damage caused".