{
  "id": 4424287,
  "title": "Man Utd pay tribute to 'proud Red' crash death officer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/man-utd-pay-tribute-to-proud-red-crash-death-officer-4424287",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-30T12:46:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Sport Football",
    "slug": "bbc-sport-football",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ckg8x0ex8gno?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Manchester United will honor the memory of PC Matthew Blades, a police officer who tragically died in a head-on collision on Teesside, by having his two sons lead out the team as mascots for their upcoming Premier League match against Ipswich at Old Trafford. PC Blades, known as a \"proud Red\" by Manchester United, was a regular at the stadium and a devoted family man. His widow will accompany the children to the game. The club paid tribute to him in the match program, describing him as a police officer who dedicated his life to helping others. The accident, which occurred on August 22nd, also claimed the lives of five people in the other vehicle and five others in PC Tom Clough's police car. The club expressed their sadness upon hearing the news of the officers' deaths. In a separate tribute, a minute's applause was held before Middlesbrough's game against West Brom at Riverside Stadium, where pictures of the two officers were displayed on a screen. Additionally, people gathered to pay their respects at Seaton Carew FC's match against FC Hartlepool. The investigation into the crash has led to the arrest of 17 people, bringing the total number of arrests to 24.",
  "summary": "The widow and two children of PC Matthew Blades will be at Old Trafford for Manchester United's Premier League game with Ipswich.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "Man Utd pay tribute to 'proud Red' crash death officer",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/man-utd-pay-tribute-to-proud-red-crash-death-officer",
        "published": "2026-08-30T12:46:10.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}