Man United make drastic change to 'stop Rangers fans infiltrating Old Trafford' three months before 'high risk' clash
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Manchester United have reportedly learned their lesson from the ticketing farce which saw Old Trafford get taken over by Galatasaray fans.
The Red Devils welcomed their Turkish rivals to the Theatre of Dreams last October for a Champions League clash.
However, United fans could have been forgiven if they thought it was a home match for Galatasaray as thousands of visiting fans secured seats in the home end and celebrated a 3-2 victory.
United Chief Operating Officer Colette Roche apologised for the ‘unacceptable’ mishap and blamed it on bots snapping up tickets, which were then sold on by online re-sellers.
“As such, our system showed that these tickets were predominantly sold to long-standing official members who have attended other matches in recent seasons, with a large percentage being to those under the age 16, and therefore did not appear in pre-match checks to pose any risk,” Roche said.
“In reality, those who turned up on the night were adult Galatasaray fans.”
A report from the Daily Mail claims United have now implemented drastic measures to avoid a similar scenario when Scottish side Rangers come to town in January.
The Daily Mail report United will only sell tickets to those who registered as a member prior to the Europa League draw which resulted in the teams being drawn to face off.
Additionally, the report claims the fixture is viewed by police and United as a ‘high-risk’ fixture.
The game between United and Rangers on January 23 will be the first meeting between the two since November 2010, which the Red Devils won 1-0 thanks to a Wayne Rooney penalty in the 87th minute.
In fact, United are yet to lose to Rangers from the four times they have faced off.
The Red Devils have also not conceded a goal against the Scottish giants and have scored five goals.
Erik ten Hag‘s side have drawn both of their Europa League games this season.
United opened their continental campaign with an uninspiring 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against Dutch outfit FC Twente while they choked a 2-0 lead away against Porto only for Harry Maguire to salvage a 3-3 draw.
As for Rangers, they have one win and one loss from their two Europa League contests.
A 2-0 victory away to Swedish side Malmo was followed by a 4-1 humbling from Ligue 1’s Lyon.
Philippe Clement’s side sit third in the Scottish Premiership but are already six points behind bitter rivals Celtic.
The Hoops have won seven and drawn one from their opening eight fixtures while Rangers have lost twice, including a 1-0 defeat to mid-table Kilmarnock last Saturday.