Man Utd protestors vandalise Jim Ratcliffe display at Old Trafford with message
Man Utd are making huge changes ahead of Sir Jim Ratcliffe coming into the club | Football Digest
A group of Manchester United fans have redecorated a large poster of Sir Jim Ratcliffe that recently appeared near Old Trafford with a clear message for the Glazer family. Many supporters have been left disappointed that a full sale hasn’t come to fruition in the club’s strategic review and continue to make their opinions felt.
Sir Jim is closing in on a £1.3billion deal to buy a 25 per cent stake in United, which will include the transfer of sporting control to his INEOS team.
The 71-year-old billionaire from Greater Manchester has seemingly won the takeover race after realising the Glazers didn’t intend on ending their 18-year-old rule entirely.
He fended off rival interest from Qatari royal Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, who was only looking for a complete takeover but saw an offer worth over £5bn rejected.
A large section of the United fanbase is content with Sir Jim’s minority investment, potentially with the view of a phased takeover to finally oust the Glazers.
But some fan groups, who have protested against the American family since their controversial 2005 buyout, will continue to oppose the club’s hierarchy until they have left Old Trafford for good.
This week, some supporters noticed that a red poster had emerged on an advertisement board showing a smiling Sir Jim, captioned “Welcome to Manchester.”
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It took inspiration from the same poster that showed up in the Old Trafford area after Carlos Tevez completed his contentious switch to Manchester City in 2009.
casualfootballshirts.co.uk funded the Sir Jim poster and included #notosportswashing at the bottom to make their stance on Sheikh Jassim’s failed bid clear.
But a group of United supporters seemingly vandalised the poster on Friday before X (formerly Twitter) account ‘Glazer Out Stickers’ posted their handiwork.
Fans have stuck two stickers reading “Love United Hate Glazer” on the poster and marked it with “Full Sale Only” and “Glazers Out.”
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They also crossed out the ‘sports’ in #notosportswashing and replaced it with ‘green’, drawing attention to Sir Jim’s company INEOS – a petrochemicals giant.
The United fanbase is divided over the current state of the club, worsened by the continued success of their bitter rivals across the city.
Sir Jim’s deal is expected to be ratified in the coming weeks, and he will likely start to have an influence at Old Trafford in the new year.
Positive change looks to be on the horizon at United, but the Glazers remain a factor some supporters understandably can’t ignore.
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