More than 1,500 Rangers fans infiltrated home areas of Old Trafford, sparking violent scenes at their Europa League clash, Manchester United have found.
The Premier League club launched an investigation after multiple brawls marred the cross-border fixture in January.
And Mail Sport can reveal security bosses refused to turf out visiting fans in home areas on the night for fear of making the situation even worse.
Large numbers of Rangers fans were clearly visible across the stadium during the fixture. But it was only when the Scottish side scored a late equaliser, and those supporters celebrated, that serious trouble flared.
A number of videos circulated online, showing United fans confronting those who had travelled and who were in home areas.
Following the game, the club received more than 400 complaints, with many stating that they had been unable to occupy their own seats because Rangers fans were already in them when they arrived.
Manchester United’s investigation into how Rangers fans infiltrated areas at Old Trafford has revealed over 1,500 away supporters made it into home seats
Serious confrontations flared between the supporters after Rangers scored a late equaliser
Despite vast security measures being put in place, decisions were taken not to act in cases
And now, the sheer scale of the problem has been unearthed. United’s probe found a total of 1,523 Rangers fans found their way into home sections for the game, which ended 2-1 to the English side thanks in the most part to industrial scale touting.
Of that number, 567 were in seats reserved for official members, 105 came in via tickets meant for away team friends and family subsequently sold by Rangers or the competition, 367 were in hospitality areas and 493 entered on United season tickets.
A huge security operation was carried out for the match and response teams were on standby to eject Rangers fans. However, due to the significant numbers involved it was decided not to act. ‘There is no safety or security operation that could effectively eject over 1000 people during a fixture’, United officials have told fan groups.
However, the report found that when Rangers levelled a dramatic game they would go on to lose, with two minutes to go, some United supporters took matters into their own hands.
‘A number of significant incidents occurred simultaneously which were primarily because of Rangers fans celebrating and then being confronted by United supporters,’ officials said, ‘and in some cases being beaten and assaulted by them’.
United have acknowledged events ‘fell short of the expectation of home supporters who felt let down and impacted on their enjoyment of the game, and (led to a) feeling of not being safe’.
On the night, there were 76 ejections in total. United, who scoured hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, have also pointed out that they were not fined by UEFA for any breaches in relation to safety or security.
They are taking action against any fans known to have sold their tickets to away supporters.
