Manchester United fans hid overnight in Old Trafford toilet

Manchester United fans hold a banner depicting Manchester United's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho ahead of the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on November 19, 2016. PHOTO | PAUL ELLIS |

What you need to know:

  • The two supporters had been on a stadium tour of United's home ground but detached themselves from the rest of the party, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

LONDON

Two Manchester United fans spent Friday night hidden in an Old Trafford toilet in a failed attempt to see the Premier League showdown against Arsenal, in a second embarrassing security breach.

The two supporters had been on a stadium tour of United's home ground but detached themselves from the rest of the party, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

However, they were discovered during a routine security sweep of Old Trafford several hours before Saturday's kick-off and handed over to police, who decided against arresting them.

United are looking into how the pair remained undetected within Old Trafford for as long as they did.

"We realise people will go to any lengths to watch a game at Old Trafford but these people went too far," said a United spokesman.

"The fact that they and their belongings had been searched before entry means we are confident there was no risk to safety."

It happened six months after the Premier League match between United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford was called off shortly before kick-off after a suspect package was found in a stadium toilet, prompting a bomb scare.

It turned out to be a fake explosive accidentally left behind following a security training exercise earlier in the week.