Manchester United’s final game of the English Premier League season had to be abandoned after a “suspect package” was found at its Old Trafford stadium Sunday.
“Due to the discovery of a suspect package in the NW Quadrant of the ground, the match has been abandoned today on police advice,” said a statement on the club’s Twitter feed.
Greater Manchester Police tweeted that a British Army Disposal Unit had been deployed to Old Trafford.
United had been due to play Bournemouth in a game that potentially could have seen the club qualify for next season’s Champions League — European soccer’s biggest competition — if they had won and their local rivals Manchester City had lost away at Swansea.
The game in Manchester had been initially delayed after the suspect package’s discovery before the match was called off.
“Those inside OT are asked to remain seated while the forecourt is cleared of fans already evacuated from the stadium,” tweeted the club after the announcement of the match’s abandonment.
Before that decision was taken, two stands — the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and the Stretford End — had been evacuated and sniffer dogs brought in to search the stands of the 75,000 capacity stadium.
The Premier League issued a statement on its Twitter feed saying that it would rearrange the fixture “as soon as practically possible.”
More to follow.