Thousands of protesters made their feelings clear about the state of Manchester United by marching from the Tollgate pub to the Munich Tunnel at Old Trafford, chanting songs and holding banners against the club’s ownership.
Organised by supporters’ group The 1958, fans were asked to
wear black to signify how the club is “slowly dying” under the Glazers’
majority rule. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is the largest individual shareholder,
was also targeted.
One sign read: “£1billion stolen, Glazers out”. It was
revealed in the latest financial accounts that United have passed the £1bn
($1.3bn) mark for cumulative net interest on the debt placed on the club by the
Glazers’ leveraged buyout in 2005. United are also indebted more than £1bn
through the gross debt, revolving credit facility, and transfer money owed.
United have made losses for the past five years, with
Ratcliffe aiming to take drastic measures to stem the tide by making up to 450
staff redundant. Fans are also waiting to hear the ticket prices for next
season, with fears that rises are in the works. Manchester United Supporters’
Trust has campaigned against increases, while the Fan Advisory Board had a
face-to-face meeting with Ratcliffe to address concerns.
The march before the Arsenal game was a visceral expression
of the anger that is bubbling among the fanbase over the running of the club,
with the major operating losses incurred through poor recruitment.
It is estimated at least 5,000 people protested, making it
the largest such gathering since United faced Liverpool in August 2022. The
songs against the Glazers continued in the ground, including after Fernandes
opened the scoring.
Those who took part are unhappy at the direction in which
the American family and the billionaire Ineos co-owner are taking the club.
United have lost £300m in the past three years and will operate with a severely
constricted budget in the summer transfer market, while the fans are watching a
poor side under the management of Ruben Amorim. With a point United
climbed one place to 14th, 21 points behind opponents who not so long ago were
close rivals.
The protest started at the Tollgate pub at about 3.15pm and
supporters were asked by the 1958 fan group, a main driver in the action, to
wear black to mark the club “slowly dying”. They marched the mile to Old
Traffordalong Talbot Road, Warwick Road and Sir Matt Busby Way, arriving 20
minutes later, the route to the stadium blocked off to traffic by a sizeable
police presence.
Some protesters held placards that read “death by 1,00 cuts”
in reference to Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting measures. These are headed by up to
450 redundancies, including a high proportion of the 80-strong scouting
department, and the closing of the club canteen, ending free lunches for
staff. Those on the march chanted for the Glazers to sell the club and accused
Ratcliffe of being no better an owner. “Your debt not ours,” they sang. Red
flares were let off, alongside yellow and green ones, the colours of Newton
Heath, the club’s original name before it became Manchester United in 1902
“We are so much in debt, a debt-ridden football club,” said
Steve Crompton, from the 1958 fan group. “These fans won’t put up with the way
the football club are treating us. This club is on its knees, the Glazers have
put us there and Ratcliffe isn’t helping. This is to both of them.
“It’s absolutely everything: we’ve got ticket prices, we’ve
got them getting rid of concessions. These fans are angry, they hate what’s
happening to our football club. This is a community that’s come out today to
tell the Glazers and Ratcliffe that we’re not messing about.”
Comments
Post a Comment