Manchester United have launched an investigation to determine how Galatasaray fans appeared to have got tickets for the home section at Old Trafford in Tuesday’s Champions League clash, The Athletic reports.
The Red Devils fell to a shock 3-2 defeat at the Theatre of Dreams despite taking the lead twice in the classic Champions League showdown.
Summer signing Rasmus Hojlund bagged a brace, but goals from Wilfried Zaha, Kerem Akturkoglu and Mauro Icardi ensured the Turkish giants departed Manchester with maximum points.
As if the disappointing defeat was not enough, Man United fans were further infuriated by the number of away fans that found their way into the home section during and after the match.
A large section of Gala fans gathered in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, while hundreds more emerged in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, making their way towards the away section to join in with the post-match celebrations.
The incident appeared to have defied UEFA rules, which strictly prohibit travelling supporters from gaining access to home areas of the stadium.
As is customary for European matches, Man United had implemented measures to prevent visiting supporters from entering home sections, which included prohibiting ticket sales to fans with Turkish addresses.
The club currently suspects that the problem stemmed from ticket touting and sales through official channels to Gala fans based in the United Kingdom, but investigations are ongoing to verify the root cause of the issue.
The Champions League setback to Gala constituted Man United’s second defeat in a four-day span following their previous 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace last weekend.
It is also the second consecutive game the Red Devils have lost on home turf and their sixth defeat of the 2023/24 campaign across all competitions.
The pressure continues to mount on manager Erik ten Hag, which further emphasises the increasingly turbulent situation of a club in shambles.
However, they won’t need to wait long to redeem themselves in the eyes of the Old Trafford faithful, with Ten Hag’s side set to welcome Brentford to the Theatre of Dreams this weekend.
