Robert Arrigo was paid a tribute by the Old Trafford crowd prior to Wednesday’s English Premier League clash between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

The Nationalist MP, who was an avid Tottenham Hotspur fan, died on Tuesday after a long illness, aged 67.

In a message read to the crowd, an announcer described him as a "staunch supporter of Spurs" and said he would be deeply missed by his family "and "the whole of the Maltese community". 

"Rest in peace, dear Robert," the announcer concluded. 

Manchester United went on to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0.

The gesture was made through the intervention of Nationalist Party MP Robert Cutajar who had initially planned to send a message of best wishes to Arrigo prior to the Premier League match at Old Trafford.

He had been receiving treatment for cancer but following his death on Tuesday, Cutajar was forced to change the message into a tribute for his fellow Nationalist Party colleague.

“Robert Arrigo is a person that I have known long before he entered the politics arena, through his involvement in sport,” Cutajar told Times of Malta.

Robert Arrigo was a football fan and president of Sliema Wanderers football club.

“Robert is a Tottenham Hotspur supporter and for Wednesday’s match at Old Trafford I had planned to send him my best wishes of a speedy recovery through a message that I had to pass on to ground compere Alan Keegan.

“However, unfortunately, I had to change this message into a tribute to my friend Robert Arrigo.”

As well as being a football fan, Arrigo was president of Sliema Wanderers, managing to turn the club into a major force in Maltese football after taking on the club presidency in 1996.

After his death this week, the Malta Football Association described him as a "true football man" and said his death was a "sad loss for football".