Blaze Breaks Out Outside Etihad Stadium Before Manchester City vs Club Brugge Match

A fire broke out at a merchandise stand outside Manchester City's Etihad Stadium ahead of their crucial Champions League match against Club Brugge. Get the latest updates on the incident and the match.

A fire broke out outside Manchester City's Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, just hours before the team's crucial Champions League tie against Club Brugge. The blaze occurred at a merchandise stand near the stadium entrance, where Pep Guardiola's team was scheduled to arrive around 30 minutes later.

The incident happened shortly before 19:00 CET, while hundreds of fans were gathered outside the stadium for a pre-match entertainment show. The event featured on-stage interviews with City's new signings, including Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis, and Abdukodir Khusanov. Female players Rebecca Knaak and Aemu Oyama were on stage when the fire started.

The event was promptly suspended as flames engulfed the merchandise stand, and stewards quickly moved fans away from the area. Fire services arrived on the scene to extinguish the blaze, ensuring the safety of everyone present.

Quick action by stewards and security staff ensured the safe evacuation of the area surrounding the merchandise stand fire outside the Etihad Stadium. A fire engine arrived promptly, and the blaze was soon brought under control. Following a brief delay, an announcement confirmed that the stadium was open, and fans were allowed to enter.

Although three entrance gates near the scene of the fire remained closed, the rest of the stadium was operational. The pre-match entertainment show was cancelled due to the incident, but fortunately, the match between Manchester City and Club Brugge was scheduled to proceed as planned, kicked off at 21:00 CET.

Manchester City's Champions League aspirations hung in the balance, as they needed a win against Brugge in their final match of the opening phase to advance to the play-off round. The Premier League champions were under pressure to deliver a decisive victory and keep their European campaign on track.