Manchester United and Manchester City pledge £1m to terror victims

Footballing rivals Manchester City and Manchester United have joined forces to pledge £1m towards a fund for victims of the terror attack that killed 22 people.

The Premier League clubs set aside their on-pitch sparring to donate the cash to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, which has already raised more than £2m in the wake of Monday's suicide bomb at the Manchester Arena.

The two sides hope the show of unity will "serve as a symbol to the world of the unbreakable strength of the spirit of Manchester".

The money raised will be administered by British Red Cross and go to the victims' families.

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It comes after United dedicated their Europa League victory on Wednesday to the city.

Players observed a minute's silence and wore black armbands during their 2-0 win over AFC Ajax in Stockholm.

The club tweeted later "For Manchester" with a photo of the players holding a banner that read: "Manchester a city united #prayformanchester."

In a further display of solidarity, Manchester City shared an image of both club logos on a black background with "#acityunited" in white, blue and red.

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Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a statement released by the clubs: "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."

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Manchester United echoed those sentiments through executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward who 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."

:: Anyone wanting to donate to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund can do so here