Bizarre protest at Manchester United: tennis balls on Old Trafford

The unrest surrounding Manchester United was felt on Tuesday evening during the Champions League‑match against AS Roma.

Supporters of the English top club threw tennis balls onto the pitch in the first half, causing the game at Old Trafford to be briefly halted.

Footage showed the Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens himself removing a tennis ball from the field.

Supporters throw tennis balls

The striking protest came at a particularly painful moment.

United were already 0‑2 down after barely seventeen minutes.

Matias Soulé opened the scoring for Roma.

Donyell Malen scored the second Italian goal from the penalty spot.

According to English media, the supporters' action was pre‑planned and therefore not directly a result of that early deficit.

The tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch around the twenty‑first minute, referencing the twenty‑one years since Manchester United was taken over by the Glazer family.

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“Glazers out” rang out.

The action was once again aimed at Manchester United's ownership structure.

The Glazers have been under fire for years from a segment of the back‑bench.

Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have also received increasing criticism in recent times, partly due to the sporting malaise and higher ticket prices.

Match progression and reaction

For Lammens, it initially seemed to be a particularly painful evening.

United started the match with a series of nine duels without a win and soon found themselves facing a double deficit.

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The Red Devil therefore had to get the ball out of his net twice in the opening phase.

After the break, the atmosphere changed completely.

Bruno Fernandes brought United back into the game from the penalty spot.

Matheus Cunha scored two late goals for a spectacular 3‑2 victory.

The tennis balls and the supporters' protest therefore faded somewhat into the background sportingly, but the message from the stands was clear.