A fire broke out at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, just hours before Manchester City's crucial Champions League clash with Club Brugge. The blaze started at a merchandise stall near the Colin Bell Stand, with a gas canister believed to have caught fire. The stadium was evacuated as a precaution, and fire crews quickly extinguished the flames.
Manchester City confirmed the incident in a statement: 'Manchester City FC can confirm that there has been a fire in one of the outside merchandise kiosks, located near the entrance to the Colin Bell West Stand. Emergency services are present at the scene and the fire has now been extinguished.' The club added that all pre-match events in the West Stand area were cancelled, including the welcome event for new signings Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush and Vitor Reis.
Stewards moved supporters away from the area before fire services arrived. Despite the disruption, the 8pm kick-off went ahead as scheduled. The stadium was reopened at 6.22pm, although three entrance gates near the fire remained closed. The remainder of the pre-match show was cancelled.
City face a must-win match against Club Brugge to secure a playoff place in the Champions League. Manager Pep Guardiola said: 'The situation that we have is that we have to win the game and if not we will not continue in this competition. We want to have another chance to play another two games, to have the chance of the next stages.'
City currently sit 25th in the Champions League standings, having won only two of their seven group matches. A defeat would see the 2023 champions eliminated from the tournament.
