BEVERLY HILLS, May 11, (THEWILL) – Ahead of the team’s return to the Old Trafford grounds since the pitch was invaded by protesting fans on Sunday, May 2, Manchester United have considerably increased security outside the Stadium in the hopes of avoiding further fan disruption as the club embarks on this week’s tight football schedule with back-to-back home games against Leicester and Liverpool.
The Sunday pitch invasion affected the original fixture date against Liverpool because, as THEWILL reported, the English Football Association was forced to call off the match after about 200 irate fans, protesting against the Glazer family’s administration of the club, managed to breach the stadium and ran onto the pitch.
Another set of protesters also briefly blockaded the team’s pre-game hotel, the Lowry Hotel, taking up the spaces at the front and rear entrances of the hotel, where United’s players traditionally spend the night before any home match in preparation for games at Old Trafford. Previous security efforts did little to prevent all these from happening.
With more protests anticipated, the club has decidedly taken further measures to forestall a repetition of the scenes from last Sunday as pictures outside Old Trafford have revealed.
Stronger metal fencing than previously deployed before that invasion have gone up across the stadium’s forecourt to keep protestors from gaining access to the stadium like the last time. The Munich Tunnel into the grounds proved to be the weak point for the pitch invaders last time. It will particularly be well guarded this time.
Although the protests ahead of the original Liverpool fixture were largely peaceful and only a number of the crowd gathered outside forced their way into the stadium without the majority knowing, it led to concerns about injuries to police and protesters alike, as well as criminal damage and trespassing cases.
The club will want to keep that from repeating itself and will hope that the increased level of security will work accordingly.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
