Manchester Utd and Manchester City donate a combined £1 million to emergency fund

Manchester United and Manchester City have pledged £1million to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.

Thu, 25 May, 2017 - 12:46

Manchester United and Manchester City have pledged £1million to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, the clubs have announced.

Manchester Utd and Manchester City announce that they have donated a combined £1 million to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund. pic.twitter.com/9i3WlVJ2A4
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) May 25, 2017

The two clubs, long-standing rivals in the football mad-city, have presented a united front since the suicide bombing that killed 22 on Monday night.

As a mark of respect, Manchester United held a minute's silence and wore black armbands during Wednesday night's Europa League final victory over Ajax in Stockholm while Manchester City Women will do the same at their Spring Series match against Chelsea Ladies at the Academy Stadium on Thursday evening.

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— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 24, 2017

In a statement the clubs said: "The Red and Blue halves of Manchester have combined to support the city they have each called home for more than 120 years and which has been profoundly affected by the tragic events witnessed on Monday.

"Under the banner of #ACityUnited, the two clubs will continue to explore opportunities to support the city at this testing time."

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: "We have all been humbled by the strength and solidarity shown by the people of Manchester in the days since the attack. The hope of both our clubs is that our donation will go some small way to alleviate the daunting challenges faced by those directly affected and that our acting together will serve as a symbol to the world of the unbreakable strength of the spirit of Manchester."

United executive chairman Ed Woodward said: "The barbarism of Monday evening's attack has shocked everyone. Our clubs are right at the heart of our local communities in Manchester and it is right that we present a unified response to this tragedy.

"The money will help, of course but the work of the two clubs and their respective foundation and community scheme can build on the fantastic spirit that Mancunians have shown in the immediate aftermath."

The Manchester Lord Mayor-backed emergency fund, in partnership with the British Red Cross, was set up in the wake of the attack at the Manchester Arena and is designed to assist the families and dependants of the 22 people who died in the atrocity and the 64 people who were injured, many of them critically.

Fans have praised the move.