Fake bomb at Manchester delays end of Premier League season

A security blunder at Manchester United prevented the Premier League completing the season on Sunday, with a fake bomb spotted inside Old Trafford only discovered to have been left from a terror exercise long after the game against Bournemouth was postponed.

Police conducted a controlled explosion and later said that the ”incredibly lifelike explosive device” had not been cleared by security contractors from a toilet inside England’s second biggest soccer stadium after the security exercise.

”It is outrageous this situation arose and a full inquiry is required to urgently find out how this happened, why it happened and who will be held accountable,” said Tony Lloyd, the police and crime commissioner in Manchester.

The 380th and last game of an unpredictable season will now be played Tuesday night in Manchester. The last round of games was scheduled to be played simultaneously, with spots in European competition still at stake. But United now knows it cannot realistically qualify for the Champions League after crosstown rival Manchester City effectively secured fourth place on Sunday.

With United’s priority now beating Crystal Palace in Saturday’s FA Cup final, Bournemouth could have a better chance to climb up to 15th place with a win on Tuesday and collect more than $1.5 million in extra prize money.

Two stands in United’s 75,000-capacity stadium in northern England were initially evacuated before the scheduled 3 p.m. kickoff time. As military personnel arrived, the remaining fans and the players were ordered to leave the venue.

The security blunder is likely to add to the uneasiness about safety in sports stadiums in Europe following last year’s …

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