Ex-FIFA ref can’t believe what Swedish officials let Leeds and Man United fans do
Leeds United were held to a draw by Manchester United in Stockholm on Saturday as the two bitter rivals drew 0-0 in a pre-season fixture.
The old saying goes that there are no friendly fixtures in football, and that is especially true for any match between Leeds and their neighbours from across the Pennines.
And while there were a few strong challenges throughout the 90 minutes, it was a rather muted affair in what looked like a packed Strawberry Arena in the Swedish capital.
Leeds and Man United fans mix in heated derby
Leeds and Man United fans were not segregated when their two teams faced off at the Strawberry Arena, which holds 50,000 spectators.
Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth reported that the mixed seating arrangement became apparent early on when Leeds supporters sang ‘stand up if you hate Man U’.
Smyth reported on 19 July that Man United fans who’d bought tickets in areas predominantly housing Whites fans were left sitting down as everyone around them stood up.
| First-half | Second-half |
| Karl Darlow | Illan Meslier |
| Sam Byram | Gabriel Gudmundsson |
| Jaka Bijol | Pascal Struijk |
| Joe Rodon | Sebastiaan Bornauw |
| Jayden Bogle | Jayden Bogle |
| Ilia Gruev | Ilia Gruev |
| Ao Tanaka | Ao Tanaka |
| Ethan Ampadu | Sean Longstaff |
| Jack Harrison | Dan James |
| Willy Gnonto | Largie Ramazani |
| Lukas Nmecha | Joel Piroe |
Former Premier League and FIFA-listed referee Keith Hackett believes that was a mistake by the Swedish authorities that could have turned ugly.
“There are no such things as friendly games and the atmosphere can change very quickly,” Hackett told MOT Leeds News.
“I feel that this is an oversight by the authorities.
“Let’s hope that the game passes without any problems.
Leeds stars impress v Man United in Sweden
Leeds should be pleased with their performance against Man United and the fans who flew out to Scandinavia should be thrilled with their contribution.
From start to finish, you could almost always hear the Leeds support.
It’s likely that the stadium was largely filled with Swedish natives who support one of the two clubs, who have both had plenty of Nordic stars over the years.
But still, there’s no doubt that Leeds fans will bring the noise to the Premier League next season based on what a handful did at the Strawberry Arena.
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