Why Man Utd and Man City have bee symbols on shirts for final Premier League game

Manchester United and Manchester City will wear bee symbols on their shirts for the final day of the Premier League season as a tribute to the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.

Sunday marks five years since the Manchester Arena bombing during an Ariana Grande concert in which 22 people were killed and hundreds injured.

United travel to Crystal Palace on the final day of the Premier League campaign, while Manchester City host Aston Villa and are favourites to be crowned Premier League champions.

Both United and City will wear the bee symbol on their shirts, while City and Aston Villa players will also be wearing black armbands during their game as a mark of respect.

The worker bee has been a symbol of Manchester since the Industrial Revolution, and has been used to reflect hard-working, resilient nature of the city and its inhabitants since that crucial period in history.

A statement from United read: ‘On the fifth anniversary of the attack, United’s players will have the Manchester worker bee symbol, which became synonymous with the city’s spirit and resilience in the aftermath of the bombing, on our shirts for the final Premier League match of the season.

‘The bee, which has been a symbol of Manchester for more than 150 years, will be prominently positioned next to the club badge on our away shirt, as United remembers all the victims of that heart-breaking night.

‘Manchester has been a united city in the hours, days, weeks, months and years since the attack and everyone impacted by that tragic evening at the Manchester Arena will be forever in the club’s thoughts.’

Sunday’s Premier League fixtures will kick off at 4PM GMT.

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