The Manchester United team’s mascots for Sunday’s Premier League game against Ipswich at Old Trafford were the two kids of a police officer murdered in a crash on Teesside.
PC Matthew Blades was a regular at Old Trafford and was referred to by United as a “proud Red.”
His widow attended the game with their kids, and the club honored him in Sunday’s game schedule.
PC Blades and his coworker PC Early on August 22, Tom Clough was killed in a head-on collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough between their police car and a motorist traveling the wrong way. In the other car, five individuals also perished.
The two policemen’ deaths were announced “with great sadness,” according to United.
In a memorial on Sunday, Man United stated, “Matthew was a proud Red, a devoted family man and a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others.”
Because referee Tony Harrington was a friend of PC Blades, match officials for Leeds United’s Premier League match against Brentford on Sunday wore black armbands.
Before Middlesbrough’s Championship match against West Brom at Riverside Stadium on Saturday, there was a minute of applause in remembrance of PC Blades and PC Clough. A screen showed images of the two males.
Additionally, people came to honor Seaton Carew FC’s match versus FC Hartlepool. PC Blades had coached junior football for both teams.
In relation to the collision investigation, 17 people were taken into custody earlier this week, increasing the total number of arrests to 24.
Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17, all perished in the other car, a Passat.
