Angry Man United fans protest ahead of EPL game


MANCHESTER, UK –

Thousands of Manchester United fans, angry at the club’s leadership under its American owners, attended a protest ahead of the Premier League game against Liverpool on Monday.

Fans chanted against the Glazer family – ‘We want Glazers out’ – and held up banners urging the Americans to sell United as they took one of the biggest games from a nearby pub to the United States in the hour before kick-off club’s legendary Old Trafford stadium in English football, which United won 2-1 for their first points of the season.

Many fans on the pitch wore green and gold scarves – the colors of the club’s founding in 1878 – and some also lit torches. There appeared to be a heavy police presence on Sir Matt Busby Way at the entrance to the stadium forecourt.

Players from both teams, including United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, arrived on the ground before the protest began.

Discontent has risen after United’s poor start to the season, which has seen the team lose both games – 2-1 at home to Brighton and a 4-0 humiliation at Brentford.

The target of the majority of anger is the Glazer family, who bought United in 2005 in a leveraged takeover that placed debt on a club that previously had none. Critics say the Glazers, who also own the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have failed to invest enough of their own money in the roster or facilities and have presided over years of failing England’s biggest team.

Interest, debt and dividend payments to the Glazers are estimated to have cost United more than £1billion.

“They are ruining the history, traditions and culture of our great club and (we) will no longer stand by and watch our club rot,” said The 1958, a supporters group that arranged Monday’s protest.

Dissent against ownership, which has been smoldering since the takeover in 2005, erupted in May last year when a home league game against Liverpool was canceled after the stadium, empty due to pandemic restrictions, was stormed before the game and thousands more fans were blocked from access to the Old Trafford. Two police officers were injured in clashes with fans.

This protest was sparked by the club’s involvement in the failed European Super League breakaway, which collapsed amid a wave of condemnation from fans and the UK government.

The Glazers vowed to rebuild United fan confidence after this protest, but there is little evidence of that. Joel Glazer, a co-chairman, met with United fans in person in June 2021 and outlined his intention to invest heavily in all aspects of the club and increase fan representation in the decision-making process.

Last week, Jim Ratcliffe, the controlling shareholder of chemicals giant Ineos and one of the UK’s richest people, expressed interest in buying United, shortly after Elon Musk tweeted – jokingly as it turned out – that he was planning to do the same.

The latest protest appeared to have passed without major incident, although some objects were thrown towards the Liverpool team bus as it arrived at Old Trafford.

United won the last of their 20 English league titles in 2013, the year great manager Alex Ferguson retired. In recent years, two of United’s greatest rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool, have dominated the domestic game.

United have not won a major trophy in five seasons, their worst run since the early 1980s, despite spending $1.5 billion on players since 2013.

United’s latest signing, Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, arrived at Old Trafford ahead of the game against Liverpool on Monday and was introduced to fans on the field before kick-off when his transfer was confirmed by the club. He reportedly costs $60m and the club are scrambling to sign players in the closing days of the transfer window.

This season has also started poorly under Erik ten Hag, the fifth manager since Ferguson. There are already question marks over the Dutch coach’s tactics and squad selection.

Star striker Ronaldo’s future is also uncertain after he pushed for an exit in the off-season because United failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Ronaldo was benched against Liverpool along with club captain Harry Maguire.

The changes were confirmed with United putting on an intense performance thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford to seal the win.