Internet Desk: Manchester United’s final Premier League game against Bournemouth has been abandoned after a suspect package was found in one of the stands at Old Trafford.
The bomb disposal squad was called in and a controlled explosion carried out within the stadium. Greater Manchester Police described it as an “incredibly lifelike explosive device” but added that the “device wasn’t viable.”
Before the controlled explosion took place, Greater Manchester Police assistant chief constable John O’Hare justified the abandonment by saying in a statement: “We don’t make these decisions lightly and we have done this today to ensure the safety of all those attending.”
Following the abandonment of #MUNBOU, the Premier League has issued the following statement… pic.twitter.com/ra4zOaWIwr
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 15, 2016
The Stretford End and Sir Alex Ferguson Stand were evacuated at around 2.40 p.m. after an announcement was made for security personnel to invoke “operation red code.” The 75,000-capacity stadium was around half-full at the time of the initial announcement.
Television pictures showed police with sniffer dogs walking through the stands, and shortly after 3.15 p.m. those remaining in the ground were informed the game was off.
All staff were evacuated from the ground as well, while the players reportedly remained inside the stadium in a suite.
The match will be replayed on Tuesday.
BREAKING: Today's abandoned fixture between #mufc and Bournemouth will be played on Tuesday 17 May at 20:00 BST.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 15, 2016