MANCHESTER UNITED fans were attacked by so-called Fenerbahce ultras ahead of the Europa League clash tonight.
As many as 50 Fenerbahce fans are said to have “swarmed” a group of United fans who had travelled to Istanbul for the match.
Footage shared on social media showed an attack taking place outside of the Grand Hisar Hotel.
The videos showed footage of ultras charging and assaulting fans, leaving several injured.
A self-professed “anarchist” account on X by the name of GFB Bogaz Hooligans boasted about the footage after posting it online.
The account shared a 26-second video of the attacks with the caption: “This is İSTANBUL!”
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An ominous post on their Instagram page showed an apparent group of hooligans on bikes.
It was captioned: “On the first punch of a fight… Manchester is now truly RED :).”
One Red Devils fan who was caught up in the attacks told StrettyNews how five fans were “swarmed” by a violent mob.
They said: “About 50 of them swarmed us.
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“One lad followed me down a street and pretended to help before hitting me a shot into the jaw.”
They added that two members of their group were left injured by glasses and a crowbar.
A separate incident is said to have involved 20 Fenerbahce fans descending upon a smaller group of United fans.
The Fenerbahce ultra account posted a screenshot of an apparent online conversation between them and a so-called United fan.
They said: “A response has been given to the traitors who insulted our religious and national values and gave us a position.”
The pictures detailed how an offensive message was sent to start the exchange before messages of “see you soon”, and “let’s go” were sent before sending the location as the Celtic Irish Pub in Istanbul.
The pub is approximately an 11-minute walk from where one of the attacks took place.
SunSport were unable to track down a social media account with the details shared in the screenshot, meaning the message could have been fabricated or the original account was changed or deleted.
Manchester United have been approached for comment.
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Violence has unfortunately become commonplace in football in Turkey, with Fenerbahce’s chairman attacked by a pitch invader and pelted with bottles earlier this season.
United face former boss Jose Mourinho tonight as they look for their first win in this season’s Europa League, with the Portuguese gaffer his normal bullish self ahead of the game.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
