Leeds, Feb. 22 (BNA): Police made nine arrests after Manchester United’s 4-2 Premier League victory over Leeds United, during which it appeared that a Manchester player had been hit by a crowd.
Substitute goals Fred and Anthony Ilanga in the second half gave Manchester United victory on Sunday in a fiery atmosphere in Leeds and it seemed that Ilanga had bumped into something while celebrating Farid’s goal.
Manchester United and Leeds United have been a fierce rivalry over the years.
West Yorkshire Police said in a statement: “There was no major disturbance but there were a few incidents at Leeds City Center before the match and some minor incidents throughout the match.”
“Officers have been deployed in sufficient numbers for rapid intervention to identify and arrest those responsible and to prevent any escalation in the chaos.”
“The majority of the fans on both teams behaved properly throughout the match and there was no major disruption, but we hope that early intervention and affirmative action … will help send a very clear message,” Deputy Police Chief Ross Foster said.
Leeds United issued a statement saying they were reviewing CCTV footage of the match.
“…we will do everything in our power to find those fans who throw things on the field,” a club statement said.
“Any fan caught throwing things on the field will be banned for life from attending our matches.”
According to media reports, the Football Association is aware of the incident in which Ilanga was involved and is looking into the matter, as Manchester United coach Ralph Rangnick and Leeds United coach Marcelo Bielsa condemned the involved fans.
“Obviously things like this shouldn’t happen, and I think more than ever in this match, the atmosphere was great sometimes, we had to calm down,” Rangnick said.
Bielsa said he did not see the incident but said violence in football “should not be approved”.