THE UEFA Cup Final crowds created massive disruption to Manchester’s commercial and retail centres.
Traffic jams during the morning rush hour caused many office workers to be late at their desks and some employers shut up early to give their staff a chance to get back home as the tram service ground to a halt.
Major stores in the city centre were deserted as shoppers were put off wandering the centre by the hordes of fans.
A spokeswoman for Next on Corporation Street said: “It has had a negative effect. We expected to be a lot busier. We have had a very quiet day trade-wise because people have avoided coming into town because of all the fans.
“I wouldn’t say we have lost money but we certainly haven’t gained from the match today.”
Michelle Atack, marketing manager of the Triangle shopping precinct said several businesses had closed early because of the lack of trade with thousands of fans sat outside. Titchy Coffee and Aspecto clothing were among the stores which shut down for the afternoon.
Michelle said: “Unfortunately a couple of our stores decided to close today because of a lack of custom and also a fear of trouble breaking out. It’s rammed outside in Exchange Square and Cathedral Gardens.
“Obviously it has all been well stewarded and the fans are behaving themselves but it is so loud! They have brought a lot of people into the city centre but it has had a negative effect for us in terms of footfall.”
Solicitors
Rebecca Asady, 27, who works for a city centre firm of solicitors, questioned why the council built the fan zones in the city centre rather than on the outskirts of Manchester.
“It’s been disruptive. The staff have been very nervous today, understandably, because there’s lots of chanting going on all the time out on the streets.
“I can’t say everybody has been particularly aggressive but it’s just the fact that it’s hordes of men who are shouting. It’s a party spirit but the middle of town in the working week is not the place for it.
“We will be looking to leave early today at 4pm because there are concerns about getting home. Why didn’t the city council put the fan zones near Eastlands? “Perhaps they could have been accommodated outside the city centre, perhaps somewhere at the end of Deansgate where amenities could have been put up. The police could have handled that far better. This doesn’t seem to make sense. They are allowed to move about the different fan zones. There’s no order.
“If it was a Saturday, people could choose not to come into town. But it’s not. A lot of people have to come into town to work. If they have another event like this they will have to seriously think about how they will handle it.”
MEN reader Michael Petersen said he was “disgusted” by sectarian songs being sung by Rangers fans.
“I stopped in the centre of town today enjoying the atmosphere and colours of the Rangers fans. However after a few minutes I was left totally shocked and disgusted.”
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Rangers invasion: The losers
May 01, 2008
The rubbish left behind in Piccadilly Gardens
Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
Tueart11, Smackbangcitycentre (14/05/2008 at 21:32)
Peter M, Mcr (14/05/2008 at 21:38)
Paul Cochrane (14/05/2008 at 22:26)
Shameful.
rammylad, ramsbottom (14/05/2008 at 22:54)
tony jack, manchester (14/05/2008 at 23:49)
Ricky Patterson (15/05/2008 at 00:08)
Other cities (including Glasgow which hosted the European Cup Final) imposed alcohol bans in certain areas and times.
Manchester couldn't make a good decision because the sound of the tills was deafening.
Vi (15/05/2008 at 01:18)
Emily Barry (15/05/2008 at 08:58)
shaunybhoy, salford (15/05/2008 at 08:59)
Large parts of Glasgow depressed and run down? anywhere out side of Manchester city centre is depressed and run down what are you talking about ? Manchester city council allowed the booze to flow its the reason Glasgow city council banned it in the 1990's thats why you dont see that up there anymore call glasgow all you want m8 were the halfwits that put money b4 public saftey dont turn this into a "its them Scots again" English football is just the same only we dont tend to do it on r own door
Blast from the past (15/05/2008 at 09:06)
If you are looking for blame then it lies squarely on the shoulders of the thousands of fans who turned up in the city totally uninvited and without a ticket.
It was they who demanded that entertainment be set up for them whilst they drank themselves stupid (most of them didnt have far to go !).
Sadly with the dross without tickets out in such force it was inevitable that violence would occur.
Thank our Police for containing the riot and not blame them for starting it.
manc_city, ROI (15/05/2008 at 09:08)
jsac1984 (15/05/2008 at 09:11)
John knight (15/05/2008 at 09:16)
Mike Davies (15/05/2008 at 09:17)
JoManc (15/05/2008 at 09:17)
Look at the picture of Piccadilly Gardens this morning!!!! I bet the two football clubs won't be contributing to the cost of the clean up! No, it'll be Manchester tax payers who spent the day being frightened and intimidated! It took me nearly 2 hours to get home last night.
Congratulations Manchester City Council and GMP - You've excelled yourselves yet again at putting the good people of Manchester last - I don't even know why I'm surprised!
Come to Manchester - beat up our residents and pee in our streets! Just as long as you pay our Council for the privilege you can do what you want!
sian claire owen, Accrington (15/05/2008 at 09:21)
Timberman, MANCHESTER (15/05/2008 at 09:25)
Unless it was to pay for another beer you wouldn't get a jock putting his hand in his pocket. Another council cock up, was Pat Karney in the city early this morning cleaning up.
Matthew H, Manchester (15/05/2008 at 09:29)
I strongly disagree with the comments made that the organisation of the events was a shambles, the screen failing was obviously an unexpected technical error, surely this one fault cannot be deemed representative of the whole of the operation.
And what about the response of the "fans" to this? Did they offer a wee thought out and reasoned response? No, they did the only thing they know how to do. . . they rioted, destroyed the city centre and chanted Manchester is sh*t while they were doing so - these guys were actually enjoying themselves.
These animals are not football supporters, they're louts and idiots who came here for one reason only, to get drunk and cause trouble.
It's 9am now on the day after. I'm sat in my office at Piccadilly Gardens looking out on the carnage. What else can I see? Rangers hooligans stood on the street drinking vodka out of a bottle while they're waiting for the pub to open. . . .great. Same story tonight as well then.
Well done Scotland, you should be proud.
jo collins, manchester (15/05/2008 at 09:38)
ace, manchester (15/05/2008 at 09:42)
Connor Fitzgerald (15/05/2008 at 10:03)
A few years back when Scotland played Slovenia (I think?), many jocks had flights to Budapest. I worked there at the time and the streets were teaming with the 'Tartan Army'. Only a few arrests for drunkenness happened. They were good natured, fun and enjoyed themselves.
The Rangers supporters have let themselves down, as have our authorities in Manchester by allowing drunken reveling in a public area!
sg7nil, Edinburgh (15/05/2008 at 10:19)
They are known up here as "Scotlands Shame" and now you all know why. It is just sad that you all required a public demonstration of them for you to understand.
The English media made a big deal of the fact that the majority of Scotland did not want them to win the Uefa Cup. Perhaps you now understand a bit of that (bear in mind that these people come to our cities several times each year so we are more used to them by now).
All right minded people in Scotland do their best to distance themselves from that club (for various reasons of sectarianism, bigotry and general loutishness), unfortunately they have possibly spoiled Manchester for the majority of Scots now.
We are NOT all like that.
Karney for head of GMPTA(formerly MC Spanner) (15/05/2008 at 10:24)
He will disappear for a couple of days, blame somebody else and then start getting his fizzgog in the media again when the mess is cleaned up.
MCC should be sacking whoever was in charge of this fiasco. They can go and work with Roger Jones....
Nichola Bryceland (15/05/2008 at 10:26)
I mean 200,000+ fan’s = mess! The state that town is in today isn't the fans fault, they were using the bins were they could but they were all full & basically not enough of them.
The toilet situation was a joke ie there wasn't any! So no wonder there was a river running down Braisenoise St, admittedly even if there were toilets this still would have happen but not to the same extent.
Manchester was unprepared for the number of fans that came down & they should have anticipated this.
andyj18, Chorlton (15/05/2008 at 10:29)
The only winners here are the supermarket chains flogging the cheap booze at 6 in the morning - and another few million hardly makes a difference to them!