Thousands of ticketless Rangers supporters to attend 'Fanzone' near Old Trafford for Man United clash - 17 years after their fans rioted in Manchester during UEFA Cup final defeat
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A giant exhibition centre, just two miles from Old Trafford, is hosting a ‘Rangers Takeover’ when the Glasgow side take on Manchester United next Thursday. Bowlers, in nearby Trafford Park, is set to entertain thousands of travelling fans without tickets for the Europa League match, in a move which may well raise eyebrows.
![[There were riots in Manchester when Rangers fans visited the city for the 2008 UEFA Cup final]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/18/94182113-14293405-image-a-32_1737052868877.jpg)
In 2008, ticketless Rangers fans rioted in Manchester when their side reached the UEFA Cup Final, in scenes branded ‘a disgrace’ by then Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Much of the trouble – which saw 11 men jailed - centred around an area in the city in which a big screen had been erected to show the game to those unable to gain entry to the Etihad Stadium, as a figure estimated north of 100,000 made their way south.
![[The riots led to 42 arrests and 11 men being jailed on a night branded 'the worst since the Blitz']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/18/94182115-14293405-image-a-33_1737052896260.jpg)
A judge later described what unfolded as ‘the worst night of violence and destruction suffered by Manchester city centre since the Blitz’, with 42 arrests made. The event, which will show the game on a ‘Large Super TV screen’ has been named ‘Rangers FanZone: Manchester Takeover’. It is scheduled to start at 3pm, some five hours before kick-off.
Thousands of ticketless Rangers fans will attend a 'Fanzone' near Old Trafford for next week's match against Man United. There were riots in Manchester when Rangers fans visited the city for the 2008 UEFA Cup final. The riots led to 42 arrests and 11 men being jailed on a night branded 'the worst since the Blitz'.
