{"id":29431,"date":"2025-04-18T05:32:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T05:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/29431\/"},"modified":"2025-04-18T05:32:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T05:32:11","slug":"police-escort-thousands-of-lyon-fans-marching-along-deansgate-as-250k-bentley-covered-in-stickers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/29431\/","title":{"rendered":"Police escort thousands of Lyon fans marching along Deansgate as \u00a3250k Bentley covered in stickers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Manchester United are playing Lyon in the Europa League<\/p>\n<p>18:26, 17 Apr 2025Updated 18:30, 17 Apr 2025<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1_JH_MEN_170425_CITYCENTRE.jpg\" alt=\"A \u00a3250k Bentley was covered in Lyon stickers\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>A \u00a3250k Bentley was covered in Lyon stickers(Image: Awais Farid)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Police escorted thousands of Lyon fans along Deansgate in Manchester city centre on Thursday (April 17) ahead of tonight&#8217;s clash against <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/all-about\/manchester-united-fc\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Manchester United<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">United are to host the French professional football club in their second leg of their <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/all-about\/europa-league\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Europa League<\/a> quarter-final, with kick off at 8pm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Ahead of the match, a huge police response attended the city centre as crowds of Lyon fans stormed <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/all-about\/deansgate\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Deansgate<\/a> and let off blue flares while chanting and cheering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group <\/strong><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/GY77Jy0SeCL8ZFZaNcWsVq\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"HERELink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Officers were stood in a line, fronted by police cars and motorbikes, as the fans made their way along the city centre road towards the <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/all-about\/old-trafford\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Old Trafford<\/a> stadium.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1744954330_700_consent-placeholder.svg.svg+xml\" alt=\"\" height=\"90px\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Videos also posted across social media showed the long line of fans, waving scarves and flags, chanting and marching down past Deansgate Towers towards the A56.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1_JH_MEN_170425_TOWNJPG.jpg\" alt=\"Fans stormed Deansgate\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Fans stormed Deansgate(Image: @mcroutlaws\/Instagram)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Clips posted online also showed fans slapping Lyon FC stickers on lampposts and street signs. Pictures then revealed how a white Bentley Continental, worth around \u00a3250k, that had been parked on Deansgate, was also covered in the stickers by fans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Large groups were then seen walking up the stairs to the Deansgate \/ Castlefield Metrolink stop, supported by a large police response and travel officers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Lyon will be backed by 2,650 fans in the away end. The team were last here in 2004 and 2008 in the Champions League, when they were a powerhouse in France and a consistent force in the Champions League.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">&#8212;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Day in day out, our reporters in the Manchester Evening News newsroom bring you remarkable stories from all aspects of Mancunian life. However, with the pace of life these days, the frenetic news agenda and social media algorithms, you might not be getting a chance to read it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">That&#8217;s why every week our Features and Perspectives editor Rob Williams brings you <strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Unmissable<\/strong>, highlighting the best of what we do &#8211; bringing it to you directly from us. Make sure you don&#8217;t miss out, and see what else we have to offer, <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/newsletter-preference-centre\/?utm_source=newslettersignupheader\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"[object Object]Link opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">by clicking here and signing up for MEN Daily News.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">And be sure to join our politics writer Jo Timan every Sunday for his essential commentary on what matters most to you in Greater Manchester each week in our newsletter <strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Due North.<\/strong> You can also<strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"> <\/strong><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/newsletter-preference-centre\/?utm_source=newslettersignupheader\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"[object Object]Link opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">sign up for that here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/news\/join-free-manchester-evening-news-26647478\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"[object Object]Link opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Click here<\/strong><\/a> to see everything we offer, including everything from breaking news to <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/all-about\/coronation-street\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Coronation Street<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/news\/greater-manchester-news\/manchester-evening-news-free-app-18109833\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"[object Object]Link opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">downloading the Manchester Evening News app here,<\/strong><\/a> and our news desk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you&#8217;ll be the first to hear about it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">And finally, if there is a story you think our journalists should be looking into, we want to hear from you. Email us on <strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/news\/greater-manchester-news\/mailto:newsdesk@men-news.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"newsdesk@men-news.co.ukLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">newsdesk@men-news.co.uk<\/a><\/strong> or give us a ring on 0161 211 2920.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Manchester United are playing Lyon in the Europa League 18:26, 17 Apr 2025Updated 18:30, 17 Apr 2025 A&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29432,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[17630,423,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-29431","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-deansgate","9":"tag-manchester-united-fc","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114357334607347310","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}