Chelsea cancel London victory parade in wake of Manchester attack

Tom Doyle24 May 2017

Chelsea have confirmed that Sunday's victory parade has been cancelled in the wake of the terrorist attack in Manchester.

An explosion rocked the city on Monday evening when a bomb was let off at the end of a concert by pop star Ariana Grande at the Manchester Arena.

Greater Manchester Police has confirmed 22 people were killed and 59 injured in an attack that has shocked the world.

Arsenal have also announced that both a planned screening of the FA Cup Final on Saturday and any celebratory parade if they beat Chelsea will now not take place.

A statement on Chelsea's official website read: "Everyone associated with Chelsea Football Club offers our heartfelt condolences to those affected by Monday’s terror attack in Manchester. Our thoughts go out to all the victims, and their families and friends.

Manchester Arena Terror Attack: Tributes in lights

1/10

"In light of these tragic events, we feel it is inappropriate to go ahead with the victory parade in London on Sunday.

"Given the heightened security threat announced by the Government, and recognising that this is a developing situation, we have given this careful consideration. We strongly believe, in the interests of everyone, this is the correct course of action. We are sure our fans will understand this decision.

"Having consulted with the Metropolitan Police, Hammersmith & Fulham Council and other authorities, we know the emergency services would have been as professional as ever, but we would not want in any way to divert important resources by holding an additional, non-ticketed event on the streets of London.

"Furthermore, as a mark of respect, our players will wear black armbands at the FA Cup Final against Arsenal on Saturday. Chelsea Football Club will also make a donation to a fund supporting the victims of this horrific attack."

Manchester United's Europa League Final against Ajax is due to go ahead tonight amid 'tight' security measures in Stockholm, Sweden.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy notice .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in