Manchester United and Ajax players observe a minute's silence ahead of Stockholm Europa League final

The two sets of players joined together for a moment of remembrance immediately ahead of the match, in memory of those who lost their lives in Monday's terrorist attack

Wednesday 24 May 2017 19:38 BST
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United and Ajax players observing a minute's silence
United and Ajax players observing a minute's silence

Manchester United and Ajax players observed a moment of silence ahead of their Europa League final in Stockholm, in memory of the victims of the Manchester attack on Monday night, which left 22 dead.

The players gathered around the centre-circle ahead of kick-off to observe the silence, joined by the 50k supporters inside Sweden’s Friends Arena. The silence then turned into sustained applause as both sets of supporters paid tribute to the victims of the atrocity.

The players also wore black armbands for the match.

Security at the stadium has been stepped up for the fixture, although Uefa claimed in a statement on Tuesday that they had received no specific intelligence that the match itself was a target.

“There is currently no specific intelligence which might suggest that any of the UEFA Europa League Final activities in Stockholm may be the target of attacks,” the statement read.

“UEFA has been closely working with local authorities and the Swedish FA for many months and the terrorist risk had been taken into account since the very beginning of the project.

“Furthermore, a number of additional security measures were implemented following the attacks in Stockholm last April.

“Due to the tight security arrangements, UEFA urges fans to arrive at the stadium as early as possible, as detailed checks will be made at the entrances, resulting in potential delays in accessing the stadium.”

Ajax also sent a message of condolence to the victims of the attack ahead of the final.

“From Amsterdam with love to Manchester. Our thoughts are with the victims and the loved ones of those affected,” their Twitter page read.

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