Manchester United fans blocked the entrance to the Carrington training ground in protest against the Glazer family’s ownership of the club.
The fans showed up on Thursday morning with the caption: “We decide when you will play” and parted ways only after manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came out to talk to them.
A group of fans talked to the manager of the facilities at the training ground and asked him to talk to Solskjaer. When he told them that Solskjaer would not go out and meet them because they were “intimidating” them, the group refused to go.
Solskjaer and some of his coaching staff came out and talked to a group that asked to know why their manager announced his opposition to the Glazers in 2005, but he was now supportive.
It goes without saying that the United boss told the group that chairman Joel Glazer, one of the main drivers of the failed European Super League, “loves the club” and an exchange of views was open before the group left the field.
One of the banners read: “51% MUFC” regarding calls for the Premier League to apply the Bundesliga 50 + 1 rule. The third simply read: “Glazers Out”.
The Glazer family is extremely unpopular with United fans, not least because of the Super League fiasco.
There have been numerous calls by U.S. billionaires to sell the club, and Gary Neville said earlier this week that they should be “kicked out” of the game.
While the protesters at the training ground eventually dispersed, the frustration of the fans in a number of clubs is expected to appear.
A statement from United read: “At approximately 9 a.m., the group was given access to the club’s training ground. The manager and others spoke to them. The buildings were safe and the group has now left the site.”
A group of fans was from the ‘Manchester Education Committee’, who was also responsible for confronting Wayne Rooney at his house back in 2010 when he was linked to the move.
Protests were reportedly planned for Saturday’s game against Newcastle, and fans wanted to take advantage of the momentum of successful protests against the Super League.
Every Monday we make a judgment about the fights for the weekend and, more importantly, what follows for the winners and losers.
Signing up is easy, just click this link, enter your email address and select ‘Boxing’ from the list.
United were among six first-league teams to withdraw plans for the European Super League after fans heard their voice.
A new era of fan power seems to be beginning in English football, with fans eager to get the owners to listen.
It has been speculated that the Glazers are starting to think about selling, especially after close ally Ed Woodward confirmed his resignation.
Woodward was a JP Morgan banker and helped raise funds for the sale of United to Malcolm Glazer back in 2005.
And since then he has maintained good relations with Joel Glazer. But he could not survive the aftermath of the Super League fiasco, of which he believed he was a key part, after taking on a role in the new organization.
United fans were at least divided around Woodward, and members of the ‘MEC’ even went so far as to throw torches over the door to his house in protest of running the club last year.
After United’s withdrawal from the Super League, Joel Glazer wrote an open letter to United fans in a rare form of communication and vowed to do more to listen.
He wrote in the letter: “We also understand that we need to communicate better with you, our fans, because you will always be at the heart of the club.
“In the background, you can be sure that we will take the necessary steps to rebuild relationships with other stakeholders throughout the game, with the goal of working together to address the long-term challenges facing the football pyramid.”