Stuart Niven, a police officer from Altrincham, was seen burning a Manchester United flag at Wembley earlier this month. Had he been seen by officers policing the match, on April 16, he could have been arrested for a public order offence.

After the game, this thick blue put the picture up on Facebook and now admits he could have blown his career.

“Sometimes people do stupid things when they’re drunk. I’m now worried I’m going to lose my job.”