Many around the football world have been left astounded by the events at Old Trafford on Sunday, as Manchester United's match with Bournemouth was abandoned by what was thought, at the time, as a suspicious package.
Then, with fans evacuated and bomb disposal experts sent to the stadium, it transpired that the device was a dummy, giving rise to the theory that the 'bomb' was a hoax. But in a remarkable twist, it has now emerged that the so-called bomb was a training device left over from safety excercises earlier in the week.
And perhaps even more remarkably, this is not the first time such a scenario has presented itself in English football, with Wolverhampton Wanderers having to evacuate part of their Molineaux stadium in 2014 while police investigated what turned out to be a training device left over in the Steve Bull Stand.
While the match, in Wolves' case, went ahead, with 30,000 fans in attendance to see the club claim the League 1 title against Carlisle, West Midlands Police were forced to issue an apology for panicking fans who found the "imitation explosion device".
At the time Chief Inspector Ian Marsh, Silver Commander for the match, said: "An imitation explosive device was found in an executive box at Molineux Stadium on Saturday during the match against Carlisle United. It had been placed there during a training exercise.
"Whilst the device posed no danger to anyone we appreciate it may have caused concern for the supporters who found it and we apologise for any distress it caused.
“We’ve received a complaint and will respond to this in due course.
“The matter has been referred to West Midlands Police Professional Standards Department who will look into the incident and advise on any learning that may arise."
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- Goal