Etihad caught fire.
Image credit: Livescore
A fire broke out at a merchandise stand outside Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium just two hours before their Champions League home game against Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Incident Details
According to reports from BBC Sports, The fire started at approximately 18:00 GMT near the stadium’s main entrance, where fans had gathered for a presentation showcasing the club’s January signings.
Etihad’s on fire 🔥
— West Ham Place (@WestHamPlace) January 29, 2025
Your defence is terrified
pic.twitter.com/w6Hxr0jjoS
Stewards and security staff swiftly evacuated the area as the flames engulfed the kiosk, halting the event.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service arrived promptly, extinguishing the blaze near the Colin Bell West Stand. They later confirmed that firefighters were “dampening down any hotspots and making the area safe.”
Impact on the Event
At the time of the fire, women’s players Rebecca Knaak and Aemu Oyama were on stage.
Men’s players Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis, and Abdukodir Khusanov were set to follow but were unable to do so as the club canceled the welcome event for the new signings.
Despite the disruption, the players were later seen arriving at the stadium.
Match Proceedings Unaffected
Despite the incident, Manchester City confirmed via X (formerly Twitter) at 19:11 GMT that the match would proceed as scheduled at 20:00 GMT.
All stadium entrances remained open, and fans were able to move around as usual.
As reigning Premier League champions, City needed a victory in this match to secure a place in the Champions League play-off round.