Roma supporter Emanuele has described being refused entry to Old Trafford for the Champions League fixture against Manchester United on Tuesday 3 November, despite holding a valid ticket, and says he was physically removed from the area by stewards. He spoke to Retesport about the experience.
According to Emanuele, the Roma fans' march was calm despite setting off late, but once they reached the car parks they were pushed and charged by English police. He said supporters were packed into a space of a few metres, side by side, barely able to breathe, and held in those conditions for about an hour and a half. Groups of only 50 people at a time were allowed through to the entrance, which he said slowed the process further and made the situation harder. "It was an endless wait," he said.
It was only after 20:00 Italian time, when the match had already started, that Roma supporters were finally allowed to reach the turnstiles. Emanuele held a ticket for Section 29, close to the stand. While queuing, a steward began shouting in his ears because a fan in front of him could not get his ticket to scan. He explained in English that the fan's phone was flat, so the screen brightness was too low, but that the ticket was valid. After he presented his own ticket and received the green light from the turnstile, he said a steward grabbed him from behind by the neck. Together with another security member, he was dragged away from the stadium with no plausible explanation given.
When he asked why he had been removed, he was told he would not be admitted because he had attacked a steward. He immediately asked to see the CCTV footage, given the large number of cameras in the area, but said he was shown nothing. "I was not given any evidence or any concrete explanation," he said. He added that if he had really assaulted a member of security staff, the consequences would have been far more serious, and he would have been arrested.
He said that, after speaking to some Italian stewards, he was advised to go to the ticket office, about a kilometre away, to have his ticket checked and validated again. There he was told that, although the ticket was valid, the general management had already decided that, having been identified as a dangerous individual who had attacked a steward, he would not be allowed into the stadium.
Emanuele said at least 20 other people were in the same situation outside. Some of them had legitimately bought tickets for the stand next to the away section, which he said was not prohibited in any way. Those fans had got in and taken their seats, but after celebrating Malen's goal they were identified, removed from their seats and thrown out of the stadium. "The reason?" he said. "They were Italian fans and they had cheered a Roma goal."
Story Coverage3 sources on this story
Roma's Champions League match at Old Trafford against Manchester United on Tuesday 3 November was overshadowed by trouble inside and around the stadium. TeleRadioStereo reports that United won 3-2, the only outlet to give a score. All the coverage agrees that tensions boiled over in the Roma away end and that English police intervened.
Outlets differ on how the disorder began. TeleRadioStereo, citing Giorgio Marota of Corriere dello Sport, says it started with taunts from United supporters towards Roma's ultras, followed by insults and thrown objects. It reports that officers entered the section as spectators were leaving, handcuffing and batoning some fans, and that a young man who suffered a medical episode was pinned down rather than treated. Retesport instead gives the account of Emanuele, a Roma supporter who says he held a valid ticket for Section 29 but was dragged away by stewards and told he had attacked one, without being shown CCTV. He also says at least 20 people were refused entry, including Italian fans who were removed after cheering a Roma goal.
Roma News reports a different focus: fans angry over a penalty awarded to Manchester United, which many believe was unfounded. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini backed their criticism, saying such penalties "don't exist in Italy" and are "not acceptable" in Europe. The squad is now back at Trigoria preparing for its next league matches.
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