CHELSEA have cancelled Sunday's planned victory parade in the wake of the Manchester terror attack.

The Blues had planned an open-top bus tour to show off the Premier League trophy and hope to add the FA Cup in Saturday's final against Arsenal.

But following consultation with the authorities – and with the terror threat raised to "critical" – it was determined it would be "inappropriate" for Chelsea's parade to go ahead.

Arsenal have also cancelled plans to screen the final at the Emirates Stadium and there will be no victory parade if the Gunners win at Wembley.

The Football Association have revealed that players will wear black armbands for the Wembley fixture, prior to which there will be a period of silence.

Chelsea and Arsenal made their decisions in order to avoid placing additional pressure on the resources of police and security services.

A Chelsea statement said: "Everyone associated with Chelsea Football Club offers our heartfelt condolences to those affected by Monday's terror attack in Manchester. Our thoughts go out to all the victims, their families and friends.

"In light of these tragic events, we feel it is inappropriate to go ahead with the victory parade in London on Sunday.

"Given the heightened security threat announced by the Government, and recognising that this is a developing situation, we have given this careful consideration.

"We strongly believe, in the interests of everyone, this is the correct course of action. We are sure our fans will understand this decision.

"Having consulted with the Metropolitan Police, Hammersmith & Fulham Council and other authorities, we know the emergency services would have been as professional as ever. But we would not want in any way to divert important resources by holding an additional, non-ticketed event on the streets of London."

Arsenal are seeking a third FA Cup win in four years and have now cancelled plans to screen the action at their home ground.

The Gunners said on their website: "We have reluctantly made the decision to cancel the screening of the Emirates FA Cup final on Saturday, May 27 at Emirates Stadium.

"This follows Tuesday night's announcement by the Prime Minister that the nation's security threat has been placed at critical.

"Should the team win Saturday's FA Cup final at Wembley, we can also confirm that a victory parade will not take place.

"We did not want to place any additional pressure on police and security services at this time and have been working closely with them ahead of making this decision."

Additional security measures will be in place at Wembley for Saturday's final.

Chelsea's player of the year awards dinner, planned for Sunday evening, will still take place as the ticketed event is confined to one area.