…where a female Red had her arm broken by over-zealous riot police while the GMP filmed some lads eating a burger round the corner.
Ken Ramsden talking to the official site:
How have your safety talks with Milan gone?
"They were fine. We know AC well of course because of the Final in 2003 when they were here, so obviously we built up a good relationship with the senior club officials and that has been maintained - so that's a good starting point. They were very detailed meetings. It is a standard meeting, but we take great care. We go through all the arrangements for fans and everything we asked for was agreed. The British Consul was there, the police from both Milan and Manchester were present. A lot of people had a lot to say about the safety, security and comfort of our supporters over there."
Following the events of Lyon, is this match in the safety spotlight?
"I don't think there's any particular pressure in Milan. I think there's always the situation when English fans go abroad, it's probably true to say their reputation precedes them and that's unfortunate, but I think you get round that by working and going more often. The more matches you play with less problems, that slowly but surely will disappear I'm sure. At the moment I think it's fair to say that there is a nervousness, particularly with a large number of fans. We could have anything up to 9,000 fans, and that's a huge number to travel. Whether that many go I don't know, that's the allocation they've offered to us, but there will be a natural nervousness there. But I do think fans need to understand that if they're very rowdy, boisterous and noisy, and if they get drunk, then that will raise tension amongst locals and that will not be healthy for anybody. So there's a need to recognise that when you go places, you behave in a certain way."
How much do cultural differences play a part?
"If a person behaves in a certain way in this country, the police will react in a certain way. It's a mistake to assume that police in Spain, Italy or France will be as restrained as the English bobby is. I think that is a point to get through to people. You would think that everybody knows that by now, but I'm afraid the reality is that they don't appear to. Maybe a few beers inside them makes them forget. It's also truthful to say that the foreign police forces treat their own fans in the same way that they treat English fans. Sometimes they do go in, if they perceive there to be a need. That's why there's a case for fans remembering where they are and not going looking for trouble or expecting a very benign response from the police."
What steps can fans take to ensure their own safety?
"You've got to bear in mind that the fans who go to these games are there all day long. They don't go to the museum or the art gallery, well some of them do, but by and large their culture is in having a drink. That's fine. That's accepted. People do have a drink and they've got all day to spend. It's not like here where you're in work all day, you have your tea and then go to the game. Here the guys arrive either the night before or early that morning. They've got lots of time to enjoy themselves, it is a holiday after all, but they do need to be mindful."
Is it problematic if fans don't arrive at the ground well before kick-off?
"There's a very rigorous search process that takes place at all European away games. Our fans who travel know that. The police and security will not rush them through without searching them because it's kick-off time. They take the view, understandably, that if you come late you'll get in late. It happens here as well. I have to say that the fans that come here from abroad always arrive very early. They get in the ground early, make lots of noise and build up the atmosphere, which we love here, yet when we go abroad we don't do it. We can take 9,000 fans to Milan, and what an impression they can make in the stadium, and on our players, if they're in early getting behind the team. If they roll up at kick-off time there are sufficient gates, but the searching will be rigorous. So fans know that they need to get there early."
What steps have the Club taken to ensure fans' safety at future European away games?
"Not specifically with Milan, but we have been meeting with the FA. We've been pushing this for a while now. We've met with UEFA about fan treatment. We've met with the FA, as have all the other teams in England involved in Europe this season. The Home Office were present, the Foreign Commonwealth Officer - so it was a high-powered meeting. The thrust of the meeting, from our perspective, was to make sure that English fans abroad are treated properly. In fighting for that, which we are continually fighting for, we have to recognise that English fans also have responsibilities. It is a two-way scenario. So if we say to UEFA that they need to control the clubs and stewards then they can say to us that English fans have been up to x,y and z. The fans need to accept that and if they behave well, then we'll fight like fury to protect them and to look after things. We'll do our best for them anyway, that's the nature of the relationship. But it does rely on the fans behaving in a certain manner and signing up to a code of conduct really."