Manchester United could face legal action over their treatment of disabled fans

Manchester United may be in some legal trouble due to their treatment of disabled supporters at Old Trafford.

The number of seats at United's stadium conducive to wheelchair users (120) is less than the minimum guidelines for Premier League clubs which so happens to be the case among 17 teams in the league. But incidents at the Manchester United v Arsenal game on May 17 has prompted the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to write to the club, as well as the Premier League, in an attempt to set up a meeting that will seek “urgent assurances that disabled fans will be treated fairly and equally as the law requires." The Telegraph recount an eyewitness' report that three Arsenal fans had initially been refused access to their seats because they had walking sticks or crutches before the supporters were eventually allowed in, only to have the walking sticks/crutches taken away from them by stewards and told that they would be returned after the game. An EHRC spokesperson said of the alleged incident: “Removing walking aids from supporters during a match will normally constitute discrimination arising from disability and must be a last resort where there is no other option. We do not know the precise constraints on the club in seating Arsenal supporters with limited mobility, but there are clearly questions to be answered about the adequacy of the club’s provision for disabled home and away supporters.” A Manchester United spokesman elaborated on the club's protocol for dealing with such incidents: “Our club policy is to encourage any supporters who require the use of crutches or a walking aid to contact the club in advance to ensure each case is adequately risk-assessed and that we can ensure safe evacuation in the event of emergency. On some rare occasions, we have also experienced such devices being used as weapons. This policy is displayed at the turnstiles and on our website. The disability liaison officers from both clubs also communicate this policy in advance. “Where supporters arrive without having pre-notified us of the need for such devices, our stewarding team performs a dynamic risk assessment which usually involves finding a solution to accompany the supporter to their seat and storing the walking device during the game. “At the game in question a significant number of visiting supporters who had not pre-notified the club arrived with walking devices. Therefore the above system was put into place. No person was refused entry to the stadium.” Via The Telegraph