Fans arrested after clash

About 120 football fans were arrested in Germany following Manchester United’s match against Bayer Leverkusen last night.

The British Foreign Office today confirmed that a number of football fans had been arrested following the game - which saw United drop out of the Champions League following a 1-1 draw - but all had been released without charge.

It was not clear how many of the approximately 120 fans arrested were English and none was charged, a spokeswoman said.

It is thought fighting broke out between about 400 English and 100 German supporters in the centre of Cologne - about 12 miles from the town of Leverkusen - after the match, which could have seen Sir Alex Ferguson’s side advance to play in the European Cup final in his home city of Glasgow.

Nobody was injured but damage was caused to flowerbeds and chairs in beer gardens were overturned.

Some 123 fans were arrested to prevent further trouble, according to local newspaper, the Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger.

All were allowed to leave after leaving their details with local police, the paper said.