Manchester United fans ‘attacked by Zorya supporters’ prior to Europa League kick-off and flags stolen
Scuffles broke out in the stands of the Chornomorets Stadium in Odessa and hosts reportedly pinched an MUFC flag
MANCHESTER UNITED fans were reportedly attacked by Zorya supporters prior to their Europa League clash.
Pictures showed rivals clashing and being separated by security.
Reports said there were only a handful of fans in the ground when fists started flying.
It appears the Zorya supporter then turned on a steward.
At the half-time break there were then reports Zorya fans had pinched two MUFC flags.
The flags were then kept in the Zorya ultras' end behind the goal despite stewards attempting to retrieve them for the visitors.
The game is itself was thrown into turmoil because of the dire state of the pitch.
It took a Zorya spokesman to explain that "everything would be OK" despite temperatures being expected to hit -3C.
Related stories
United trained on the icy pitch on Wednesday night, with defender Daley Blind heard to say :"It’s like rock."
And Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho said Uefa need to think about scheduling group fixtures in Eastern Europe earlier in the calendar.