Manchester United v Bournemouth called off after partial evacuation By Sky Sports News HQ
Last Updated: 15/05/16 3:15pm
A controlled explosion was carried out at Old Trafford after Manchester United's final Premier League match of the season against Bournemouth was called off. Greater Manchester Police confirmed that bomb disposal experts had dealt with a suspicious item that had been discovered inside the 'north west quadrant' of the stadium before the scheduled 3.00pm kick-off on Sunday. Initially, the evacuation concerned just two sides of the ground - the Stretford End and the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand - with the rest of the stadium filling up as normal 40 minutes before kick-off. At around 2.40pm, an announcement was made for security personnel to invoke 'Operation Red Code' but at that stage, fans in the South Stand and East Stand - where the visiting Bournemouth supporters were seated - were unaffected.
A short time later, United officials confirmed police were investigating after 'a suspect package was found in the north west quadrant' of the ground before an official tannoy announcement confirmed the match was off 'because of a security alert'.
A tweet from the Premier League read: "MATCH ABANDONED The match at Old Trafford has been abandoned due to a security alert." Some two hours after the stadium had been cleared, Greater Manchester Police announced in a statement on Twitter: "A controlled explosion has just been carried out within the stadium by bomb disposal experts at Old Trafford."
There is no indication yet as to when the game will be played, but the Premier League has said it will be played ''as soon as practically possible". United - who harboured Champions League ambitions before kick-off - are involved in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace on Saturday, May 21. A Premier League statement read: "We will seek to rearrange the fixture as soon as is practically possible and will advise fans accordingly.
"It is always the last resort to abandon one of our fixtures and while we apologise for the inconvenience caused to fans we are sure, in the circumstances they will appreciate the need to do so."
It is understood a number of Eddie Howe's squad have booked holidays for Monday, so those plans with have to be altered
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/10283167/manchester-united-v-bournemouth-delayed-after-partial-evacuation [ 此帖被羅力亞在2016-05-16 09:49重新編輯 ]