A huge memorial poster adjourning one side of Old Trafford to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster has been vandalised with paint bombs, an act that has heightened the tension ahead of the Manchester derby.
Many are blaming fans of United’s local rivals Manchester City for the defamation, while others say a small minority of United die-hards have actually done the deed in opposition to the corporate sponsorship logo that is strategically placed in the bottom corner of the poster.
The billboard poster features an image of the 1958 Manchester United team which lost eight players in the Munich plane crash, but has an AIG logo at the bottom.
American Investment Group are of course one of the main sponsors of the team, who also have the AIG logo on their shirts.
But many loyal United fans still harbour a deep hatred for the American takeover of their club which has plunged the club into masses of debt.
A Manchester United spokesman condemned the attack and said the paint had now been removed and the poster restored to its original state.
The 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster is on 6 February and United play arch-rivals Man City on the 10th, a game that has caused consternation between the two clubs over how they should commemorate the occasion.