Several thousand football fans were left disappointed this weekend after their dreams were dashed, ironically, at the Theatre of Dreams.
At least 20 minutes before Manchester United was scheduled to play Bournemouth in an English Premier League game at Old Trafford, emergency evacuation procedures were initiated.
This “scare” came after an object resembling a bomb was discovered in the men’s bathroom. It apparently looked like a cell phone attached to a “package”. It was so believable that the bomb unit opted to blow it up, instead of attempting to remove it.
Only after it had been destroyed was it discovered that this particular object was actually “forgotten” in the bathroom during a training drill – presumably by one of the specialist bomb squad teams.
While everyone was evacuated safely, and it turned out to be a dud (thankfully), it got me thinking about how sometimes our small actions have massive implications.
We always choose to believe otherwise, until thousands of people are being evicted from a stadium because of a mistake.
It got me thinking about all the “small” decisions I tend to brush off or “outsource” (my euphemism for getting someone to do what I don’t want to), and the weight they carry and I tend not to realise this.
The reality is that one person forgot that device in that bathroom – one person – and now the world is reeling from it.
A full inquiry has been launched into who forgot the device in the bathroom.
Whoever they are, I’m sure they’ll be more careful in future – if they still have a job.
Old Trafford officials decided to move the match to a different night (the 17th of May), and fans who had tickets for the game on the weekend will be able to watch the match for free.
Glad everyone is safe.