SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Chelsea cancel victory parade after Manchester bomb attack

LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea have cancelled a planned victory parade in London on Sunday in light of Monday's bomb attack in Manchester.

Chelsea cancel victory parade after Manchester bomb attack
(Reuters)

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Skip to article content

Antonio Conte's side won the Premier League title and could claim the double by winning Saturday's FA Cup at Wembley. Thousands of fans were expected to turn out for the parade.

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

"Given the heightened security threat announced by the (British) government, and recognising that this is a developing situation, we have given this careful consideration," it said.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"We strongly believe, in the interests of everyone, this is the correct course of action. We are sure our fans will understand this decision."

The club said black armbands would be worn by the players in Saturday's final against Arsenal and that a donation would be made to a fund supporting the victims.

Arsenal later announced that they were cancelling a planned screening of the final, to have been staged at their Emirates Stadium. The club also said there would be no victory parade were they to beat Chelsea.

"As always, the safety of our supporters and staff is paramount and we are in close contact with security services," chief executive Ivan Gazidis said.

"After taking their advice we have reluctantly taken the decision to cancel the screening and potential parade. We are sorry for any disappointment this causes but it is in everyone's best interests."

An Islamist suicide bomber blew himself up and killed 22 people at a packed pop concert at Manchester Arena on Monday.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Theresa May's government announced that the security threat level had been raised to "critical" as the bomber, Salman Abedi, had probably not acted alone.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Mark Heinrich)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world