--- description: Police say Manchester United's game against Bournemouth has been canceled after a suspect package was found at the Old Trafford stadium title: Manchester United Game Canceled Over Fake Explosive From Training Exercise image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt50043ba50567b9d3/69889339196cf422cc03b9ac/old-trafford-machester.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Manchester United Game Canceled Over Fake Explosive From Training Exercise  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:55 AM CUTPublished: May 15, 2016 3:13 PM CUT  A sniffer dog patrols pitchside as the match is abandoned with fans evacuated from the ground prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford in Manchester, England on May 15, 2016. A sniffer dog patrols pitchside as the match is abandoned with fans evacuated from the ground prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford in Manchester, England on May 15, 2016.Alex Morton—Getty Images  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:55 AM CUTPublished: May 15, 2016 3:13 PM CUT Manchester United’s game against Bournemouth was [canceled after a suspicious package was found](http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36297390 "undefined") at the Old Trafford stadium, the club said Sunday, but police later said the package was actually a training device left behind during an earlier security exercise. Police investigated the “suspect package” found in the northwest quadrant of the ground, [Manchester United announced on Twitter](https://twitter.com/ManUtd?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor "undefined"). Greater Manchester police later described the item as an “incredibly realistic-looking explosive device,” the Associated Press reported. The device had been left behind by mistake after an exercise involving explosives-hunting dogs, said John O’Hare, assistant chief constable from Greater Manchester Police, according to the AP. The investigation had initially delayed kick-off of the [final league game of the season](http://www.manutd.com/Splash-Page.aspx "undefined"), and authorities later advised the team to abandon the match. The Premiere League apologized to fans in a statement, saying it was the “last resort” to cancel the game. “When it comes to matters of security, it is obviously right that Manchester United and the Premiere League place the safety of supporters and employees foremost,” it said. “The Premiere League will seek to rearrange the fixture as soon as practically possible as will advise fans accordingly. It is always the last resort to abandon one of our fixtures and while we apologize for the inconvenience caused to fans, we are sure, in the circumstances, they will appreciate the need to do so.” Police said bomb disposal experts had carried out a controlled explosion at the Old Trafford stadium, according to the AP. > [](https://twitter.com/ManUtd/status/731853053045903360) > [](https://twitter.com/ManUtd/status/731853523009343488) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4336457/manchester-united-bournemouth-old-trafford-suspicious-package/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4336457/manchester-united-bournemouth-old-trafford-suspicious-package/"},"headline":"Manchester United Game Canceled Over Fake Explosive From Training Exercise","datePublished":"2016-05-15T15:13:34.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T09:55:01.000Z","description":"Old Trafford was evacuated due to the package","url":"https://time.com/4336457/manchester-united-bournemouth-old-trafford-suspicious-package/","keywords":["United Kingdom"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt50043ba50567b9d3/69889339196cf422cc03b9ac/old-trafford-machester.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt50043ba50567b9d3/69889339196cf422cc03b9ac/old-trafford-machester.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 15: A sniffer dog patrols pitchside as the match is abandoned with fans evacuated from the ground prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford on May 15, 2016 i","caption":"MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 15: A sniffer dog patrols pitchside as the match is abandoned with fans evacuated from the ground prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth at Old Trafford on May 15, 2016 in","creditText":"Alex Morton—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4336457/manchester-united-bournemouth-old-trafford-suspicious-package/","name":"Manchester United Game Canceled Over Fake Explosive From Training Exercise"}}]}] ```