Sir Alex Ferguson Among Fans Kept in Stadium Due to Wolfsburg Security Threat

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was one of many high-profile attendees kept behind at the Volkswagen Arena on Tuesday night, as a suspicious package was discovered in the car park following the Red Devils’ Champions League clash with Wolfsburg.

As reported by Joe Bernstein of the MailOnline, Ferguson, as well as Sir Bobby Charlton and David Gill, were not allowed to return to their vehicles for an hour after the match after an unclaimed item was located, prompting a full investigation from the police. It was 11:30 p.m. local time when they were given the go-ahead to leave.

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“We were told there was a package in the car park and they weren’t sure what it was,” said Ferguson, per Bernstein. “They have to check these things for obvious reasons.”

Bundesliga pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft was also at the stadium and outlined the situation on his Twitter feed at the time:

Bernstein also writes that the United players were closely monitored by “plainclothes security” as part of a tightening of security measures. The stringent practices were put into place in light of a variety of undesirable incidents across European football recently.

As reported in the piece, the friendly game between France and Germany on Nov. 13 was targeted by attackers as part of the terrorism in Paris. In addition, matches between Spain and Belgium as well as Germany and the Netherlands were also called off last month due to security fears in the wake of the aforementioned incidents.

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On the field, it was a hugely disappointing night for the Red Devils as they flirted with the prospect of qualifying for the knockout rounds of the competition but were eventually eliminated after a 3-2 loss to the Bundesliga side.

Manager Louis van Gaal will now seek to steer his team to success in the Europa League, with United finishing third in the group behind Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven.