Manchester United fans stage fresh protests against the Glazer family
Manchester United fans stage fresh protests against the Glazer family ahead of clash with Wolves as takeover saga drags on
- Manchester United kick off their season against Wolves on Monday evening
- They staged a fresh protest against the ownership of the Glazer family
- WATCH: ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ – Episode 1 – Mail Sport’s brand new football show
Manchester United fans have held more protests against the Glazers’ ownership of the club ahead of their Premier League opener with Wolves.
The Red Devils kick off the season on Monday night with the Americans still in control after hopes among supporters that they would have sold the club to either Sheik Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar or British tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe over the summer.
United fans though have been left furious after the Glazers’ refusal to accept offers in excess of £5bn from the two interested parties.
As the takeover saga rumbles on, The 1958, a group who accuse the American owners of ’18 years of ignorance and silence’ protested by the Holy Trinity Statue outside Old Trafford, before the 8pm kick-off against Wolves.
There was the usual ‘Glazers Out’ banners on display, while they also raised awareness of plans for a further protest.
Manchester United fans have staged a fresh protest against the ownership of the Glazers ahead of their Premier League clash with Wolves in their first game of the new season
Fans showed off ‘Glazers Out’ banners while they also promoted a potential one-hour sit-in following their next home match on August 26 against Nottingham Forest
United fans had hoped the Glazers would sell up before the start of the new season
One of the banners read: ‘Well the club. 60 min sit in after Forest – we want Glazers out.’
The banner asks fans to sit-in for 60 minutes following the Red Devils’ next home game with Nottingham Forest on August 26 – should the situation remain unsolved.
Last November, United announced that the Glazers were willing to sell the club as part of a plan to identify ‘strategic alternatives’.
It had been hoped new owners would be in place for the transfer window after a deadline for final bids was set for the end of April by Raine, the US merchant bank running the process who also oversaw the sale of Chelsea.
However, a large-scale bidding war failed to materialise with Ratcliffe and Qatari Sheikh Jassim locked in an apparent two-horse race for control.
Their final offers value United at around £5billion, with the Glazers thought to be seeking £6bn and, a week from kick-off, the situation remains resolved.
United fans previously showed their frustration at the situation by blocking the club’s megastore on the day of their home-kit launch.
United fans chanted ‘we want Glazers out’ outside of Old Trafford during their protests
A protest took place earlier this summer outside their megastore on the date of their kit launch
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The Manchester United Supporters Trust issued a statement on Sunday warning that fans are ready to vent their frustration over the lack of progress since a strategic review was launched in November.
A spokesman said: ‘As time goes on this feels less like a sale process and more like the Glazer family is holding Manchester United and its fans hostage.
‘The united message of fans is clear: sell the club. And if they do not intend to do so, at least have the courage to say that and explain what the charade of the last nine months has been about.
‘On the pitch, there is clear progress at United and the whole fanbase is behind Erik ten Hag and the team.
‘But off it, the discontent about the ownership and the sale process has not gone away and will only escalate now the new season has arrived.’
A separate demonstration has been planned by a women’s protest group over the possibility of United bringing Mason Greenwood back into the fold after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges of attempted rape and assault against the 21-year-old in February.
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