Two Irishmen have been ordered to return to Manchester next month, to appear in court after throwing paper rolls of till receipt on to the football pitch at Old Trafford last weekend.
Kevin Ryan (18), Highfield Park, Galway, and Brian Gillespie (21), from Co Donegal, face fines of up to £1,000 and a ban from football matches.
The two were attending the Manchester United versus Aston Villa FA Cup match at Old Trafford last Sunday. When Manchester United striker Henrik Larsson scored, the men unfurled rolls of till receipt on to the pitch in celebration.
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester police confirmed yesterday the two were arrested, held overnight and appeared at Trafford Magistrates Court on Monday charged with throwing a missile towards a playing area.
The offence carried a maximum penalty of a £1,000 fine and a banning order, often used to prevent troublemakers from travelling to matches abroad, she said.
Mr Ryan, commenting on the United fans' website www.stretfordendflags.com., said: "The way the police treated us, you'd swear we'd stabbed someone to death. We had fingerprints, DNA and mug shots taken, were searched eight times and handcuffed when we were moved.
"Nobody got hurt by or made a complaint about our till rolls. To think we could still actually get a conviction from this is a load of s***e." He said till rolls, toilet rolls and streamers were frequently used to celebrate at matches and were not used with the intent of hurting someone. "They're just a bit of fun, which is what watching football is supposed to be."
Mr Gillespie said that after they threw the till rolls at the pitch they were approached by five police officers and a number of stewards. "The charges will wreck my life and career so our lawyer is trying to get the charges dropped."
The police spokeswoman said the two were kept in a cell overnight as they had been charged to appear in court the following day and were not resident in Britain. They were bailed until February 5th.
A Manchester Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: "We only charge someone if . . . it is in the public interest and if we feel there is a reasonable chance of conviction."
Manchester United would not comment.