EVER since the announcement of the European Super League (ESL), a wave of sleeping anger has been awoken in English football. Although core supporters have opposed the Glazer family ownership of the club since their takeover 16 years ago, the ill-fated ESL has started a fire that is ripping through the very game of football and now, Manchester United fans are making their voices heard.
Unanimously, United fans share the opinion that the interests of the Glazer family are not about the club in itself; they believe the family sees Manchester United as merely a cash cow for their own vested interest. United fans have long protested the ownership of Manchester United but the scale and ferocity of the protest that took place recently before the United-Liverpool match was like no other in the clubs’ rich history.
Just hours before United were scheduled to play Liverpool in a pivotal Premier League fixture, hundreds of United fans breached a cordon around the stadium grounds of Old Trafford. The catalyst for this uproar, which ultimately caused the aforementioned game to be postponed, was none other than Joe Glazer, the co-chairman of Manchester United.
As the person that fans hold responsible for the perceived erosion of the club’s value and its rising debt, Glazer was one of the major driving forces behind the ESL, which incidentally was undertaken without the consultation of supporters. Although the failed initiative was seen to be fuelled by greed with no regard to the history of the game ─ themes which United fans believe have characterised the reign of the Glazer family ─ footballing fans around the world have a different opinion altogether.
Global fans believe that the protest is misguided and pointless as it was born out of Manchester United no longer being top dogs in football as much as it was about the establishment of the ESL. These sceptics believe that the protest at Old Trafford will have zero effect on the club’s ownership or its decision-making process.
It is important to remember that football was created by the poor to promote unity and healthy competition between teams, and not a sport to be exploited by the rich and powerful. The Glazer family has made the fans feel powerless over the well-being of their team and their raging protest is only the beginning.
From the time when the workers of Newton Heath established one of the greatest clubs in football history and the Busby Babes dying in the plane crash, to Liverpool offering United its support for insufficient players and Sir Alex Ferguson establishing one of the greatest football dynasties ever, it would all be for nought to a United fan if the Glazer family had things go their way.
Now more than ever, it is the fans' voices that truly matter, especially when they come together to make a stand against oppressive American owners, who think they know what is best for a historical club with an incredibly rich and colourful tradition. ─ The Vibes, 4 May 2021
By Amardeep
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