Manchester United, a professional football club in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom has instated a ban on large electronic devices at matches, citing security concerns. They said that they are reacting to the latest security intelligence to safeguard attendants from terrorist attacks.
As the Manchester United website says:
‘Ahead of the new season, we’d like to make you aware of some changes to the Club policy regarding items you cannot bring in to the stadium on home matchdays. As a result of the latest security advice, large electronic devices including laptops and tablets will be added to the existing list of prohibited items for matchdays at Old Trafford. We apologise for any inconvenience that this might cause but we are committed to putting the safety and security of all supporters as our number one priority.’
The maximum dimensions permitted for any technology (specifically electronic) is 150 mm x 100 mm. Phones and ‘small lens cameras’ are permitted, provided that they are smaller than 150 x 100 mm. Of course, laptops and tablets are not permitted because they are almost always larger than that.
Despite the fact that this is inconvenient for the users of tablets and other large devices. It is more convenient to those behind them because some people hold large tablets up to take photographs of these events, blocking their view.
The Manchester United club said that they can’t check every device upon entry (as airlines do) to see if it’s genuine because that would be impractical. This is likely because there would simply be too many devices to check.
‘The government announced in July that passengers flying to the U.S. or elsewhere who passed through U.K. airports needed to show that devices carried in their hand luggage were charged and could be powered on. The move followed a warning that US officials had become aware of a ‘credible’ unnamed terrorist threat.’
Sources: Manchester United and BBC.
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