United fans hit out at treatment in Bruges

THE Manchester United Supporters Trust have written to the mayor of Bruges to complain about the ‘deplorable treatment’ of their fans at last week’s Europa League tie.

United fans are demanding to know why local police were so hostile towards away supporters — a water cannon and barbed wire were outside the Jan Breydelstadion.

They claim United fans were stopped from leaving with security gates ordered to be locked, leading to fears of a crush inside.

There were also complaints that English fans were taken off buses and denied access to taxis, meaning they had to walk to and from the ground in cold and wet conditions.

In an open letter to Mayor Dirk De Fauw, MUST have asked a series of questions in the wake of ‘the worst experience of a European away game for many years’.

It reads: ‘It is with regret and with grave concern that we write this open letter to you all, but as representatives of law abiding supporters and members we have no choice other than to highlight, in this way, the deplorable treatment we were subjected to during our visit to Brugge, by the local police and stewards.

‘It is not an exaggeration to say that many fans were in genuine fear for their safety at times throughout the evening.

‘Why was it felt necessary to deploy a water cannon, where was the evidence that one may have been necessary? Why was it necessary to use barbed wire barriers for a football match?

‘Why is netting used when there have been no incidents of missiles being thrown by Manchester United fans on previous visits?

‘Why were fans unable to leave the stadium? Why were exit gates locked leading to the build-up of crowds and the risk of a crush developing both at the exit from the concourse and at the bottom of the stairs?

‘We would be embarrassed if visitors to Manchester were treated as described above — are you not ashamed of the way visitors to your city were treated?’