- Man United fans were attacked by a swarm of Fenerbahce ultras on Wednesday
- A hooligan group shared provocative messages allegedly sent by a United fan
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Shocking footage shows Manchester United fans being attacked by a horde of Fenerbahce ultras in Istanbul on Wednesday night ahead of their Europa League clash on Thursday.
One supporter has claimed their group was ‘swarmed’ by as many as 50 hooligans while another told Mail Sport that they saw a fan get hit with a crowbar.
Footage shows an attack taking place outside the Grand Hisar Hotel, under a kilometre from Taksim Square, where two Leeds fans were stabbed to death by Galatasaray hooligans in 2000 before a UEFA Cup semi-final match.
Videos of ultras charging towards and assaulting fans was proudly shared by hooligan accounts, with one self-described ‘anarchist’ page writing ‘this is Istanbul’.
In an ominous Instagram post, a group of hooligans shared a photo of them stood in the streets, some on motorbikes, with the caption: ‘On the first punch of a fight… Manchester is now truly RED : )’.
Manchester United fans were swarmed and attacked in the streets of Istanbul on Wednesday night, with a Fenerbahce ultra group appearing to take responsibility
‘This is Istanbul’, ultras wrote as they shared footage and imagery of fans being attacked
In an ominous Instagram post, ultras wrote: ‘Manchester is now truly RED’
United fans touched down in the Turkish capital on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash with Jose Mourinho‘s side.
‘About 50 of them swarmed us (a group of five). One lad followed me down a street and pretended to help before hitting me a shot into the jaw,’ one supporter told popular United fan website StrettyNews.
The attacks on United fans appear to have been perpetrated by the GFB Bogaz Hooligans group, who shared the original footage.
On their X account, the group shared a message which purportedly showed an exchange with one potential United fan.
Mail Sport was unable to track down an account with the username of the United fan on Instagram. It is entirely possible that the message was fabricated, or that the account was changed or deleted.
Screenshots miss out some messages but show the fan United writing ‘see you soon,’ ‘game on,’ and ‘let’s go’ before announcing their location at the Celtic Irish Pub in Istanbul.
Sharing the message and the video, the hooligans wrote: ‘A response has been given to the traitors who insulted our religious and national values and gave us a position.’
However, the Celtic Irish Pub is around an 11-minute walk away from the Grand Hisar hotel, where the footage of the attack was filmed.
A hooligan group shared messages from an account Mail Sport could not find which purportedly shows a United fan inviting the ultras to a pub
‘If you go to a foreign country and insult the people there I’m glad the ending wasn’t worse,’ wrote one Fenerbahce follower.
Turkish football has long been marred by thuggish violence and that has not slowed down in recent seasons.
Last season, Fenerbahce’s players were attacked by Trabzonspor fans who stormed the pitch, hurling objects and wielding corner flags.
Former QPR star Bright Osayi-Samuel was forced to fight back to protect himself as an assailant pummelled him. Michy Batshuayi launched into a spinning heel kick connecting with a supporter and causing them to quickly disperse.
Even this season, one Fenerbahce fan stormed the pitch and pushed over club president Ali Koc before another threw a bottle from the stands, hitting him.
