Manchester United fans broke on to the Old Trafford pitch to protest against the club’s ownership under the Glazer family.
United’s home Premier League game against Liverpool is scheduled to kick off at 16:30 BST.
The protestors were removed from the pitch after they made their feelings known.
There also appeared to be a protest outside the hotel where the United players stayed before the game.
Manchester United’s game with Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon may be delayed after some individuals broke into the stadium and entered the pitch, with the team coach’s departure from the Lowry hotel in the city centre put back.
At just past 2pm about 200 individuals are believed to have made their way into the stadium, some carrying flares, with a corner flag being taken from the pitch and paraded outside. Images and videos of the protest also showed one person hanging off the crossbar of a goal. It is believed those who gained access to the ground did so via the Munich Tunnel, after pushing down barriers, despite the attempts of security guards to prevent that happening. A large number of fans ran back out of the stadium complex at around 2.20pm.
Supporter unrest at the Glazers’ ownership has been further heightened after the club’s planned membership of the now defunct European Super League. The United co-owner Joel Glazer, who was named the ESL vice-chairman when the announcement was made, apologised to the fans in an open letter after they withdrew from the project.
However, that apology seems to have been rejected by the club’s supporter base, with a group of around 20 fans having also gained access to United’s Carrington training base last month.
Pictures showed the coach due to take Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his squad to Old Trafford halted outside the Lowry with banks of uniformed police surrounding it. They still had not left 90 minutes before the 4.30pm kick-off and Liverpool’s squad also remained at their hotel after advice from the police.
The Premier League remained hopeful that the match would start on time with police having secured the area of the pitch, as they continued to work on making the outside safe for the teams to arrive. The media are currently being kept at a distance at the back of the Stretford End while searches continue inside Old Trafford for fans who entered the stadium.
If United lose to Liverpool then Manchester City will be crowned champions after their victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
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