No one was hurt in Sunday's bomb scare at Old Trafford, but has the incident and postponed match hurt Manchester United's chances of success in the FA Cup final tomorrow?
Manchester United training ahead of the FA Cup Final tomorrow. Photo: Reuters On Sunday, as Manchester United were gearing up to play Bournemouth at Old Trafford in their final Premier League match of the season, the stadium was evacuated due to a bomb scare. Although the package turned out to be a dummy device that had been left accidentally following a training exercise involving sniffer dogs, at the time, security experts were convinced enough by the device's authenticity to evacuate the stadium and postpone the match.
The match finally took place on Tuesday night at Old Trafford, and although Manchester United beat Bournemouth 3-1, the bomb scare has ManU fans talking about the lasting effects of the disruption ahead of the FA Cup Final tomorrow, when Manchester United will play Crystal Palace.
Young Post decided to hunt down a few die-hard ManU fans in Hong Kong to find out what they have to say about it all.
Nathan Fok, 19
Nate studies at the University of Toronto in Canada has been a life-long ManU fan. "It's no secret that United has had a pretty bleak season. Their recent loss to West Ham is testament to how grim it's been. The bomb scare might have an effect on their performance in tomorrow's FA Cup final, but I believe the real problem behind their deplorable form is their manager, [Louis] Van Gaal."
Rajeev Chugani, 28
Raj, who studied at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has been cheering for the Red Devils for 20 years. "This could affect the final because the Bournemouth game was postponed. Although they won the postponed game on Tuesday, it means they've had less rest time before the final tomorrow. Another thing that could happen is the players could have mental issues, like anxiety, because of the bomb scare. This could have a lasting effect on the players, and would hinder their performance in the FA Cup final."
Dheeraj Vasandani, 16
A King George V School student, Dheeraj was on the fence about the events at Old Trafford but he's certain his team will win on Saturday. "The fake bomb incident has left them with less time to prepare for the final. But, it was a good decision to postpone the game as the safety of the fans and players is more important than the match itself."
Akshay Ramchandani, 12
He is a 12-year-old Renaissance College student. “The players only have three days to prepare for the final, and also may feel scared to play the FA Cup final”. He agreed that the fake bomb incident could have a lasting psychological effect on the Manchester United players, making them feel scared and anxious, although he admits it's better to be safe than sorry, and thinks it's important to know that Manchester United aren't afraid to postpone a match, as it shows that the safety of the fans and players is the most important thing.
Hersh Melwani, 17
Hersh Melwani, 17, is also a student at King George V School as well as being a die-hard Manchester United fan. Hersh had a different viewpoint from the others, believing there wouldn’t be any negative repercusions from Sunday’s unfortunate events. "I don’t think there will be any negative effects as I believe that Manchester United will win the final regardless’’. But, he did also add that he believed there could be some negative effects on the fitness and energy levels of the key players for the FA Cup final, as a result of having less time to rest and prepare for the game. "This makes the final much more difficult’’.