I don't have an issue with Alan Davies's right to an opinion, and those who have issued death threats against him have clearly overstepped the mark in the most egregious way. But I do disagree with him - as with commenters here who suggest that Liverpool should be forced to play, or to forfeit the match, simply because the anniversaries of Munich and Bradford are not remembered in this way.
A couple of commenters have said that the world moves on - and thankfully, it does. But time also brings change in the way that communities respond to tragedy. Munich in particular was a lifetime ago, and while I have no evidence to support my view, I doubt very much that Manchester United would have refused to play even on the first anniversary of that disaster, let alone the 23rd. Back in 1958, disaster on a much larger scale was still fresh in the memory, and as anyone who has seen flowers taped to a lamp-post would agree, we deal with grief very differently these days. It's neither right nor wrong - just different. What's more, I firmly believe that had Manchester United started a tradition back in 1959 of avoiding matches on February 6th, the football world would respect that to this day - just as would be the case if the 96 Hillsborough victims had been Nottingham Forest fans. And it's worth noting that for the first three anniversaries, the 96th victim, Tony Bland, was in hospital on a life support machine - not to forget that controversies and cover-up allegations still remain. None of that is true of the other disasters mentioned here.
Liverpool does not, as some have suggested, have a 'reputation' for grief. This is a myth that stems in large part from Boris Johnson's dreadful article in 2004 - and recent disclosures under the 30-year rule might suggest that that article, in turn, has its roots in a long-standing belief among the establishment that the city is an embarrasing basket case which should be abandoned to decay.
I was born in Liverpool but have set foot in the city no more than a dozen or so times since leaving it in a pram at the age of 18 months. But as one who was offered a ticket for the Hillsborough semi-final but had to decline because I couldn't afford to go, I can personally testify to the impact of the tragedy on the entire Liverpudlian diaspora. No-one to my knowledge has objected to the club's stance for all these long years - in fact, my impression has been that it was universally respected by those who know football as an understandable and admirable tradition. But the moment it causes a problem that affects the Champions League, all this negativity springs up - which to me, says more about our society than it does about Liverpool Football Club.