How Fans Have Disrupted Team Hotels

As sports lovers, we can all appreciate how devoted, even tribal, people can feel towards our favourite sports people and teams. Perhaps not as tribal as others, however – some fans will go that extra mile to try and give their side a competitive advantage. This has even extended denying their rivals some precious nights’ sleep. We take a look at some bizarre examples and see how fans have disrupted team hotels.

Manchester United v Atalanta

Most Manchester United fans would love to fast-forward the season if they could, but now instead we’re going to look back to the early stages of the current season, a Tuesday night clash with Italian side Atalanta. The visitors were  staying at the Edwardian Manchester hotel ahead of a Champions League group stage clash at Old Trafford.

It wasn’t to be a peaceful night for the away side however, with hotel guests taking to social media claiming that the fire alarm was sounded SIX separate times from 04:51 through to 07:13. This was echoed by the unimpressed wife of Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskiy, who posted on Instagram:

‘Hellish night in Manchester. Throughout the night in the hotel the fire alarm was turned on at full power 5 times.

‘It happened just when the team arrived, and only at night! Do you think this is an accident? I don’t. From such a “warm” welcome from the local population, it becomes terrible in the heart.’

Who knows, maybe an uninterrupted eight hours’ kip might have made the difference in United’s 3-2 victory. Either way, it ultimately made little difference to their season as a whole in the end…

England v Italy

From fire alarms to fireworks, an old favourite of fans looking to cause mischief to rival teams. 

We look back on last year’s postponed UEFA Euro 2020 with a mixture of fondness and regret, remembering what was a time when the English nation came together in hope and excitement on the verge of history, combined with a feeling of what could have been.

It’s hardly surprising, then, when looking back on last summer that England fans would look to do anything to gain a slight competitive advantage, particularly being on home soil on the eve of the country’s first ever European Championship final. Opponents, Italy, were housed in a luxury hotel at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground when England fans sought to disrupt them with a fireworks display at 2.30am from the car park of a nearby pub. It was to no avail, however, with the fully soundproofed setting at the Myddleton Lodge leaving the Italians oblivious to the commotion and unforgettably going on to win the tournament after that penalty shoot-out.

Copenhagen v PSV

Fireworks have become that much of a well-known tool for fans causing disruption that teams are beginning to wise up. Back in March, PSV Eindhoven were preparing for a tie away in Copenhagen in the inaugural Europa Conference League when they got wind of home fans planning a display of their own.

The visitors from the Netherlands came away with a 4-0 second leg victory following after a thrilling 4-4 draw in the first. After the tie, PSV player Mario Gotze, burst into laughter when asked about whether he was expecting the fireworks, revealing they’d left the team bus at an entirely different hotel, making the Copenhagen fans’ efforts entirely in vain. “I slept very well!”, Germany’s 2014 World Cup final hero said.

You may or may not be expecting a similar welcome party, but at sportshotels.com we cater for sports pros and fans, at elite level and grassroots alike. So, if that’s you and you’ve got a sporting event coming up, we can find the right accommodation for you, so get browsing here!