The city is reeling from shock and sadness, but Manchester United will still contest Wednesday’s Europa League final against Ajax in Stockholm after UEFA played down the security threat following Monday’s bomb attack in Manchester.
As the UK came to terms with the deadliest terror attack on British soil since the 2005 London bombings, European football’s governing body UEFA agreed to cancel United’s pre-match news conference Tuesday.
But in a statement UEFA said there was “no specific intelligence” to suggest the match in the Swedish capital was under threat.
It added that additional security measures had been put in place following the attacks in Stockholm last April, but urged traveling fans to arrive “as early as possible” to go through rigorous checks at the Friends Arena stadium.
“UEFA is shocked by last night’s attack in Manchester. Our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those affected,” said the statement on its website.
“There is currently no specific intelligence which might suggest that any of the UEFA Europa League final activities in Stockholm may be the target of attacks.”
In its own statement, Manchester United said everyone at the club was “deeply shocked” by the incident and added its “thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected.”
The players and staff held a minute’s silence at their Carrington training ground Tuesday.
“We’re all very sad about the tragic events last night; we can’t take out of our minds and hearts the victims and their families,” said the club’s manager Jose Mourinho.
“It’s a pity we cannot fly with the happiness we always have before a big game”.
United was allocated 9,500 tickets for the match but reports suggest twice that number of fans were expected to travel to Sweden for the crucial match which will determine whether Mourinho’s men will be playing in the Champions League this autumn.
A sixth-placed finish in the Premier League means United has to beat Ajax qualify for the Europe’s elite competition, or face the prospect of more Europa League football next season.
United has already won trophies in Mourinho’s first season in charge — the League Cup in February and the Community Shield in August — but Juan Mata, the club’s World Cup-winning midfielder, says Wednesday’s final will determine how successful this campaign has been for the club.
“If we can have a good game against Ajax and win the Europa League, we will speak that is has been a very good season,” Juan Mata told CNN Sport in an interview held on May 12.
“It’s going to be tough and we need to fight for it. If we win, we can have two gifts with the trophy and the Champions League.”
United last featured in the lucrative Champions League in the 2015/16 season.
CNN
