Manchester United investigating how Galatasaray fans had Old Trafford home tickets

Manchester United are investigating after a number of Galatasaray fans appeared to have tickets in the home section of Old Trafford during their Champions League game on Tuesday.

The Turkish side were surprise 3-2 winners in Manchester but during and after the game, a large section of what appeared to be Galatasaray fans gathered in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand (pictured above), while hundreds more appeared in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, making their way towards the away section to join in with the celebrations.

The apparent ticketing issue was a cause of complaint for many United supporters on social media.

As with all European fixtures, United had measures in place to try and stop away supporters from gaining access to home areas, including a ban on ticket sales to anyone with a Turkish address. At this stage, United believe that touting and sales through official channels to UK-based Galatasaray fans was the cause of the issue.

UEFA rules, like the majority of club and international fixtures, dictate that away supporters must be segregated during a fixture.

They say: “The visiting association or club must be allocated 5 per cent of the total stadium capacity as tickets for their supporters in a dedicated sector of the stadium.

“This sector of the stadium must be capable of being segregated from other sectors. The location of away supporters within this sector must be agreed in advance by police and public authorities.”

United’s official ticketing portal is the only place to buy tickets for Champions League matches for home fans. An individual must be a club member or season ticket holder in order to use the portal.

(Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)