Animal discovered on the lawn
Manchester United is fighting against a plague of mice
01/18/2025 – 12:23 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Almost all Premier League clubs have five stars in the hygiene rating. Of all people, the record champions are out of line – for a specific reason.
In terms of sport, things are going up and down for Manchester United. After six games without a win across all competitions, the English record champions were able to record success for the first time last Thursday: the team won 3-1 against FC Southampton in their own stadium. But at Old Trafford a completely different, animal problem suddenly emerged. Curious: The home of the “Red Devils” is plagued by a plague of mice.
A viewer of the Premier League game shared a video on the website “reddit.com” that showed a mouse on the stadium’s grass. The animal ran from the sideline into the penalty area, the players of both teams were not on the field.
In fact, Manchester United hasn’t just been dealing with the animal problem in their own stadium since Thursday. The plague of mice in Old Trafford became public back in December – with consequences for the rating of the catering industry.
Food inspectors discovered evidence of mice in company suites on the ground floor and in a food kiosk in a hall, the Daily Mail newspaper reported. They then lowered the hygiene rating for the stadium catering to two stars. Most Premier League clubs maintain the maximum of five stars.
There are many reasons for the mouse plague. The stadium, originally built in 1910, is located between a canal and a railway line, where the rodents particularly like to hang out. Every home game is attended by 74,000 people who leave behind a lot of rubbish. The problem often increases in winter because the mice seek warmer and sheltered places.
“Manchester United implements a strict pest control system throughout the Old Trafford stadium,” the club told the paper. There are several checks per week. A spokesman for the local council said the authority was working closely with the association to make necessary improvements.
It is not the first time that stadium catering has been poorly rated. After undercooked chicken was served to guests at a private company event, the hygiene rating was even lowered to one star. By the time of the most recent inspection, the rating had risen back to four stars – then the mice were discovered.