As someone who was there at ground zero for the bomb scare game at Old Trafford this past May, whenever I’m instinctively drawn to any and all stories about an increased police presence at the Theatre of Dreams. Such is the case tonight as Manchester United host Feyenoord Rotterdam in their Europa League tie.
When the two met in The Netherlands this September for the Dutch leg of this tie, the concern was terrorism. Now, for the England side the security threat is hooliganism instead, driven by the influx of road fans who don’t have tickets to the match.
Manchester police are beefing up their police presence in order to ward off potential hooliganism threats.
Hundreds of officers are expected to be deployed around the ground and in the city centre amid fears fan hooliganism could mar the European match.
There are concerns that as many as 4,500 Feyenoord supporters will travel to Manchester without tickets as well as 3,100 more who do possess tickets for the crunch Europa League game.It is feared as many as 200 ticket-less hooligans could make the journey from Amsterdam to Manchester for the 8.05pm kick-off.
The Mirror quotes a Daily Mail article that cites a police source expressing concern over 4,000 road fans who don’t have tickets to this match. It just adds to the tension of a match that will see the Red Devils eliminated from the Europa League tournament with a defeat.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
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