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Football

09th Apr 2018

Liverpool issue pyrotechnic and smoke bomb warning ahead of Manchester City tie

Jack O'Toole

Liverpool have issued a warning to their fans ahead of the club’s Champions League quarter-final return leg with Manchester City on Tuesday.

Liverpool enter the match after a comprehensive 3-0 win at Anfield in the first leg, however, the match was preceded by Liverpool fans bombarding the Manchester City bus with smoke bombs, cans, firecrackers and bottles.

Liverpool apologised for the “completely unacceptable” scenes outside Anfield and condemned the incident “in the strongest possible terms” before kick-off but have since issued a fresh warning to fans ahead of the club’s trip to the Etihad Stadium.

The club said in a statement on their website: “Liverpool FC would like to remind supporters that flares, smoke bombs and pyrotechnics are illegal and prohibited.

“Any individual who is found taking these items into the stadium are liable to arrest.

“The use of such devices breaches ground safety regulation and poses serious risk of injury to fellow fans and serious health risks.

“Amnesty bins will be located outside the visiting section of the Etihad on Tuesday.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola compared the attack to the Borussia Dortmund terrorist attack last year where a man planted three homemade pipe bombs on the route of  the team’s bus journey to Westfalenstadion in Dortmund.

“I am new here, that it is going to happen,” said Guardiola.

“Normally when the police know it is going to happen, they tried to avoid it from happening,” he said. “So I did not expect that from the Liverpool side, their people.”

“One year ago something happened in Dortmund so we come here to play football and I don’t understand this kind of situation.”

The City boss added: “The bus is destroyed but I did not expect a prestigious club like Liverpool doing this kind of thing.

“It is not Liverpool, it is the people, only one, two or three but hopefully it does not happen again.”