An area outside the Etihad Stadium was evacuated after a merchandise stand caught fire ahead of Manchester City's Champions League game against Club Brugge.

The blaze broke out shortly before 6pm, close to where Pep Guardiola's City team had been due to enter the stadium at around 6.30pm.

Supporters had gathered in the area for a pre-match entertainment show which included on-stage interviews with January signings Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov.

The show had already begun with women's players Rebecca Knaak and Aemu Oyama on stage at the time of the fire.

The event was suspended as flames took hold of the stand and stewards moved fans away before fire services arrived on the scene.

It is unknown at this stage whether the incident will affect the scheduled kick-off time of 8pm.

The area was quickly evacuated by stewards and security staff and a fire engine was on the scene within minutes.

The fire soon appeared to be brought under control.