A group of Man Utd fans were at the Etihad Stadium last night to see Real Madrid knock Man City out of the Champions League. The group, who have become regulars at Man Utd away matches in recent seasons, posted pictures and videos from the away end at the Etihad last night and their actions have drawn criticism from everyone, including fellow Man Utd away fans.
The posts included photos of them holding a Spanish flag in the away end and videos of the Real Madrid fans celebrating and singing on the concourse. The fans in question waited until after full-time to post their activity on social media, perhaps waiting for the final result of the match, but as soon as Antonio Rudiger's penalty went past Ederson to wrap up the tie, they headed to X to revel in City's misery.
Their actions aren't anything new in English football. Everton fans have frequently been known to do the same at Anfield over the years but it is perhaps the first time that Man Utd fans have shown that they do care more about their neighbours than they have previously let on.
HALA MADRID🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/hrHWeowFSO
— Callum 🇾🇪 (@Callumwarbo) April 17, 2024
Man Utd away fans stand in the Real Madrid end: Reaction
The reaction was largely negative online to the actions of the two Man Utd fans. One City fan said: “Fair play to these two, that's some going that going to support a different team at your rivals ground because your own team IS garbage, got to be proper sad off the scales to do that.”
Another City fan said: “Imagine your own team being so useless you have to support another team from another country in order to find a crumb of happiness.” The criticism didn't just come from City fans. Some old-school Man Utd fans weren't happy, either. One simply said: “Cringey as f**k. Not United.”
Some rival fans did find their actions amusing, so it wasn't all hate for the duo. One person posted: “Loving the salty city responses. Go on lads. Hala Madrid.”