Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez was attending the launch of a song commemorating next month's 20th anniversary of the disaster. Some of the city's best-known musicians have recorded a version of the Kop anthem, The Fields Of Anfield Road, with former Liverpool players and members of the Hillsborough Families Support Group.

Benitez said: "I think it's important to show support for the fans and the families."

Recalling his first season at Anfield when he first attended a Hillsborough memorial service, he added: "It was very emotional for me, for all the players, it was something we will never forget.

"I think you can feel it (the loss) in every single game, what it means for the fans."

The disaster, on April 15 1989, happened at Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest when 96 Liverpool fans at the Leppings Lane end of Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium were crushed to death.