Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes endured a chaotic Sunday evening as his official X (formerly Twitter) account was compromised by hackers shortly after his team’s disappointment in the FA Cup. The Portuguese midfielder, who had just played a full 90 minutes in United’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton, saw his social media profile overtaken by a series of bizarre and unauthorized posts that confused his 4.5 million followers.
The first sign of trouble appeared when the account randomly announced a move to sixth-tier side Macclesfield FC, before quickly descending into a string of offensive and controversial statements.
The most politically charged message from the compromised account took aim at the club’s hierarchy, explicitly demanding the removal of co-owners INEOS, the company led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe which controls football operations at Old Trafford. This post was accompanied by derogatory remarks directed at other public figures, including female footballer Alisha Lehmann and YouTuber KSI, as well as a provocative image of the scoreboard from United’s infamous 7-0 loss to Liverpool in 2023.
Okay News reports that Manchester United officials moved quickly to address the security breach, issuing a statement warning supporters not to engage with the posts or any direct messages from the account. In a brazen display of defiance, the hacker quoted the club’s warning with a mocking reply urging fans to “stay alert,” while also leaving a dismissive comment under a heartfelt apology posted by teenage teammate Shea Lacey regarding his red card in the earlier match.
The trolling continued past midnight, marking a stark departure from the account’s usual professional conduct, which had last been updated in October to celebrate Fernandes’ 300th appearance for the club. As the hackers posted “are you not entertained,” the incident added a surreal and frustrating postscript to an already difficult day for the club, compounding the misery of their third-round FA Cup exit.
