SINGAPORE – A Singaporean at Old Trafford was seated at the section where a suspicious package was discovered, leading police to evacuate the grounds while sniffer dogs were deployed.
Mr Khoo Yap Meng, 29, who was seated at the North-West Quadrant of the 75,600 capacity stadium, said that the first announcement to evacuate was made 20 minutes before the scheduled kick-off at 1400 GMT (10pm Singapore Time).
“[The stewards] got us to move as far away from the grounds as possible,” Mr Khoo, a marketing executive told AsiaOne.
“Stewards on the ground initially told us that the game was delayed for 45 mins while they were mentioning something about ‘Code Red’.
“10 mins after the initial announcement, it was announced on the PA that the match against against Bournemouth has been abandoned.”
Mr Khoo added that fans were ordered to evacuate the ground in “double quick time”, and most people learnt of the real reason from their phones.
“The fans were frustrated initially as we all thought we couldn’t watch the match. After we found out the real reason, everybody started to move. The evacuation was a bit messy initially, but it was later orderly.”
AFP, Reuters
The game “has been abandoned, fans are leaving the ground. Please avoid the area if possible,” Manchester police said on their Twitter account.
AFP reported that half of the stands at Old Trafford were evacuated. United later confirmed that a suspicious package had been discovered in the Stretford End stand.
“Due to a suspect package being found in the North West Quadrant, today’s match has been abandoned on police advice,” the club said.
Sniffer dogs were used to search the area.
Public address announcements instructed supporters in the South and East Stands – including the travelling contingent of Bournemouth fans – to remain in their seats before the game was called off, AFP added.
It is the second time security alert in less than a week involving Manchester United.
Earlier in the week on Monday (May 9), Manchester United’s match against West Ham United was delayed after their team bus was attacked by fans.
grongloh@sph.com.sg
Reuters, AFP
