Liam Whelan bridge covered with jerseys in touching tribute

Earlier this week, the Liam Whelan bridge was defaced. Today, the bridge is covered in soccer jerseys in a touching tribute to the deceased athlete.

Named after a former Ireland and Manchester United football star, the Liam Whelan bridge in Phibsboro, Dublin was sullied by offensive graffiti at the start of the week.

Liam Whelan was one of the eight Manchester United players who died in the Munich air disaster of 1958.

The words "Munich B*****d" and "LFC" were painted in red on the memorial bridge and a commemorative plaque sprayed with garish red paint.

The vandalism followed Liverpool's 3-2 win over Manchester United on Sunday night.

The scrawl was initially covered up by the local Bohemian Football Club and later removed by Dublin City Council.

The incident was met with huge public outcry since photos went viral on social media, multiple users tweeting support to the Whelan family and condemning the vicious act.

This morning, dozens of jerseys cover the bridge in a touching show of solidarity.

Mr Whelan's sister Rita said it was a "great lift" to her family who are overwhelmed by all the support.

She said: "The respect of so many people out there outdoes the bad."

More than 40 jerseys have been laid out so far.

Even more shirts on Liam Whelan Bridge now. More good than bad out there. pic.twitter.com/SLV9C7jY2e

— Neil O'Riordan (@noriordan) April 16, 2014

Liam Whelan Bridge now has shirts from all teams and messages for victims of both #Munich & #Hillsborough #JFT96 pic.twitter.com/l6pbSFdVoG

— Simon Geraghty (@SimonRPG) April 15, 2014