Man Utd vs Roma Champions League game HALTED as fans stage protest against Glazers

Manchester United vs Roma has been halted after supporters threw tennis balls and other objects onto the field. Remarkable scenes emerged in the 21st minute as the projectiles were thrown into the middle of the match, forcing play to stop.

A short pause ensued as United forward Matheus Cunha helped to pop balloons and clear the tennis balls that were on the field, with the Red Devils already 2-0 down thanks to goals from Matias Soule and Donyell Malen.

United's fans were protesting the club's owners amid the side's dreadful nine-match winless run. The action started ahead of the match when green and yellow balloons were displayed in the Stretford End. A banner also read 'For the love not the likes'.

A total of 4,000 green and yellow balloons were distributed to supporters at the Stretford End of Old Trafford as part of a protest against the club's hierarchy, organised by a group called the Stretford Enders. The display was designed to accompany the flags in that end of the ground, when the Champions League anthem is played ahead of kick-off.

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The green and gold colours correspond to the colours originally worn by Newton Heath, the team that eventually became Manchester United. They have often been used as a tool to protest the Glazer family and have been a regular feature at the Theatre of Dreams following protests in 2010.

The Glazer family have been placed under intense scrutiny since their controversial arrival at the club, but recent performances have seen that rejuvenated, while co-owner Ratcliffe has also been targeted.

With United in 17th position in the Premier League, Michael Carrick has retained the support of match-going fans who are keen to highlight the structural issues at the club, stemming from its hierarchy.

Fans made their feelings clear during defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with songs targeting the owners. “You can stick your new stadium up your a***”, “Sell United and f*** off home”, “Just like the Glazers, Jim Ratcliffe’s a c***," were all sung.

That message was reinforced on Tuesday evening at Old Trafford. Even before the game, chants against the Glazer family, Ratcliffe and director of football Jason Wilcox were present.

Speaking last week, former United captain Gary Neville called upon the club's owners to sell the club after 14 years of failure.

Neville said on The Overlap: "The Glazers have to sell. They have to sell now. The time has come. They've subcontracted the football department out to Ineos.

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"Ineos are trying to run the football department and have had three years of struggling and failing and now it looks like they're struggling again. The Glazer family are over there in America, in Tampa, where they're very popular and go to every game apparently, I hear. They've hardly been to Old Trafford in 20-odd years.

"They have to sell now, enough is enough. The club is in debt, you've not spent a penny on the stadium, you're trying to borrow £2bn for a stadium that you don't know how you're going to borrow.

"There's basically failure of 13 or 14 years in the football side. You've subbed it out to somebody else which is just ridiculous and not taken responsibility. But they're not making millions anymore. Up until three years ago they were taking dividends out. But now enough is enough. They have to sell the whole club."