A football fan chuckled in court as he was banned from attending matches for four years for wearing an offensive shirt which referenced the Hillsborough disaster.

James White, 33, of Warwickshire, initially claimed the shirt was meant to be a tribute to his late grandfather, who he said died at the age of 97 and did not have enough children.

But he pleaded guilty to displaying threatening or abusive writing likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress at Willesden Magistrates’ Court in north-west London on Monday.

The court heard he wore a Manchester United shirt with the number 97 and the words “Not Enough” on the back to the FA Cup final on June 3. Manchester City won the FA Cup at Wembley, beating local rivals United 2-1.

Ninety-seven football fans died as a result of a crush at an FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield on April 15 1989.