- Rival supporters brawl in the street in Harrow before the FA Cup final
- A shirtless fan was seen lying in the middle of the street after the violence.
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Rival Manchester United and Manchester City fans brawled on the streets of London ahead of the FA Cup final.
Video footage published on X showed a group clashing near a bus stop in Station Road, Harrow, in the run-up to the Wembley match.
A shirtless fan was seen wrestling on the ground at a bus stop with traffic at a standstill before more men piled in.
Kicks and punches (and bottles) were thrown during the shocking scenes in the hours leading up to the long-awaited finale.
Chants of “United, United” can be heard in the background during the fight which continued across the street as horrified shoppers looked on.
Rival Manchester United and Manchester City fans brawled on the street in Harrow, London, ahead of Saturday afternoon’s FA Cup final at Wembley.
A shirtless fan was left lying in the street after fighting with a rival fan.
Dozens of fans piled up with kicks and punches and broken bottles on the road.
Scrap metal spilled onto the road at a bus stop in Harrow before the Wembley grand final.
The fight happened on Station Road, near Harrow-on-the-Hill tube station.
Almost 90,000 spectators are at Wembley for the long-awaited final, a repeat of the same match from last season, which City won 2-1.
Fans of both teams were assigned certain pubs to drink in across north-west London before the match, but that didn’t stop clashes in the street.
Police were concerned about the prospect of violence between fans of the two Manchester clubs, but also about Leeds United fans gathering in London for Sunday’s Championship play-off final at Wembley.
This prospect was discussed in the safety meeting even before it was known that Leeds had reached the final.
As Mail Sport revealed last week, City and United fans were advised to take different routes to London as part of a major security operation for the cup final.
With both teams bringing around 36,000 fans to the match, they were asked to use different motorways and service stations between Manchester and the capital to try to avoid potential flashpoints.
Police asked United fans to travel on the M6, M42 and M40, and City fans to use the M1.
Police intervene to calm an altercation between fans on Wembley Way before the match
More than 1,000 police officers were present at the match to prevent violence.
There was a considerable police presence on Wembley Way in an attempt to deter trouble.
City fans display a banner supporting their team before the main match at Wembley on Saturday.
Manchester United fans show their support with 36,000 tickets delivered to each of the clubs
Last year there were reports of clashes at Newport Pagnell services on the M1 and at Oxford services on the M40 after City’s 2-1 win.
The start time of this year’s match was brought forward to 3pm on police advice, much to the disappointment of broadcasters who wanted prime time.
More than 1,000 police officers will be on duty around Wembley to deter trouble.
