The return of Champions League football to Old Trafford quickly turned into a nightmare for Manchester United and their fans on Tuesday, as they endured a calamitous night against Galatasaray.
It seemed initially as though this could be the spark United's season had been waiting for, after four defeats in their opening seven games and an injury crisis had compounded a littany of off-field issues in the first few weeks.
An energetic United flew at the Turkish side, with Rasmus Hojlund heading them ahead within 20 minutes and, finally, a fire visible within the players lining out in red. It would not last, however, and ex-United player Wilfried Zaha's equaliser four minutes later was only the beginning of the home side's woes.
Poor decision making would cost Marcus Rashford [or Bruno Fernandes] a second, while Hojlund was similarly denied by the offside flag, before he did put United back in the lead with just over 20 minutes to go.
That was to be the final joy. The closing stages were disastrous for Erik Ten Hag's Manchester United, as Galatasaray would equalise minutes later before a Casemiro red card and a winner for Mauro Icardi left the home fans in disbelief at how they had managed to conspire to lose on a night when they should have been out of sight.
If the home supporters were fuming at the action on the pitch, their mood will certainly not have been improved by the administration at Manchester United allowing hordes of Galatasaray fans to invade home sections at Old Trafford on Tuesday. The club have begun investigating how over 1,000 Turkish fans got tickets in home sections.
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Galatasaray fans get hands on Manchester United home tickets
Amid a trying start to the 2023-24 season, Manchester United fans have turned up in huge numbers at Old Trafford this season, but they were left with a rude shock on Tuesday evening.
Season ticket holders at Old Trafford who are unable to attend any given match are afforded the opportunity to forward their tickets on to friends or family - though, to accept a ticket, the recipient must be a paid member of Manchester United on top of paying for their match ticket.
If season ticket holders cannot find anyone to accept their ticket, they are given the chance to sell them back to the club, who will place them on resale for club members. This strategy has seen tickets placed on sale as "hospitality" packages for upwards of £300.
On Tuesday night, it was evident that the difficulties posed by Manchester United's resale process had had shocking consequences, as pockets of Galatasaray fans could be seen dotted around sections of home fans around the ground, staying behind and making Old Trafford a cacophony of noise after the final whistle.
United will tout off their own fans to the tune of £400 and ban fans for passing on tickets to their mates for a meaningless cup game but let about 10k galatasaray in the home end without any intervention. Felt like I was away in Istanbul. Absolutely disgusting from United. pic.twitter.com/h770a9jT9y
— Paterson (@adampaters0n) October 3, 2023
This was taken by a friend who’s a season-ticket holder in the second tier of the Stratford End. No wonder it felt/sounded like a home game for Galatasaray at times last night #mufc pic.twitter.com/5FJpUwQtjc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) October 4, 2023
But away fans can take up whole blocks with no bother. Just when you think you can’t find another reason to hate the Glazers. pic.twitter.com/l9sa6PjWam
— Scott Patterson (@R_o_M) October 3, 2023
This is what our club has become
money over fan loyalty
money over fan safety
money over dignity
money over integrity
money over everything
Arnold, Glazer and @ManUtd hang your heads in shame.
Everything is just an illusion that comes out of this club
The fans know, just go. pic.twitter.com/0HvX8hLo4I— The 1958 (@The__1958) October 3, 2023
Journalists noted that even the directors' box in Manchester had been mobbed by vocal Galatasaray fans.
Galatasaray all over the main stand and north stand. Never heard chants in the directors box before either. pic.twitter.com/98z4CkbjtQ
— Andy Mitten (@AndyMitten) October 3, 2023
Naturally, Manchester United fans were fuming that, on such a pivotal night in their club's season, such a huge portion of a partisan fanbase were able to run riot in Old Trafford in place of home fans.
Some fans reported that they had donated tickets to the club's foundation, only to find that their season tickets had found their way into the hands of travelling fans from Turkey.
Manchester United have been ruthless in reprimanding and even removing fans who have merely forwarded screenshots of their tickets to fellow United supporters - so there was understandable anger that they had allowed a scenario such as Tuesday's to play out.
Fans banned from games for forwarding a screenshot of their ticket to their mates yet the club have willingly sold home tickets to Galatasaray.
Honestly don’t recognise the club anymore.— Callum Stone (@_callumstone) October 3, 2023
Gifted my ticket to the foundation, United sold it on at the ticket office. Guess who was sat in my seat?
A Galatasaray fan.— josh (@JoshMUFC951) October 3, 2023
One clip posted to social media even captured Galatasaray fans ripping down a banner from the Stretford End which read a famed quote from Matt Busby about the meaning behind lining out for Manchester United.
03.10.2023, Galatasaray🇹🇷 in Manchester🏴 stolen banner https://t.co/Fjy3xrlEmQ pic.twitter.com/F2AsMis1IW
— Hooligans.cz Official (@hooliganscz1999) October 3, 2023
"It's glory and honour," the great man said, "there's nothing on Earth like being a Red," reads the banner. In fact, that banner was unveiled by Manchester United themselves in 2021, rather than the club's fans.
On Tuesday's evidence, it seems as though the supporters of Manchester United are of little importance to the directors at the club, as the mood of discontent continues to grow at Old Trafford. One would fear that there is no end in sight.
Update: On Wednesday afternoon, the Manchester Evening News reported that Manchester United had begun investigations into how 1,000 Galatasaray fans had acquired tickets in the home end of Old Trafford.
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