Manchester United fans plan protests over ownership saga
Manchester United fans remain frustrated by the club’s ownership and protests are being planned for the first two home games of the new season. The much-maligned Glazer family announced that the club is available for sale last season and there was great hope among supporters that new ownership would bring significant new investment.
There was, and still is, interest from Qatar and from British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, but bids of up to £5bn have not been accepted by the current owners who value the club at around £6bn. The hope that a new owner would be in place before the transfer window opened has long since died, while the idea of a takeover before the season starts is now out of the question as well.
The 1958 Group
A group of United fans known as The 1958 are looking to gather support for protests at the home game against Wolves on Monday 14 August and then during the clash with Nottingham Forest on 26 August. The protest at the Wolves game is thought to be held around the Holy Trinity statue outside Manchester United’s stadium, while the plans for the Forest game are much bigger.
The 1958 are trying to organise a 60-minute sit-in at Old Trafford after the match, with a spokesperson for the group saying: ‘We want answers and the full removal of the Glazer family from every foundation of our club.’
Qatari Sheikh Jassim
The Sun report that Qatari Sheikh Jassim remains the front-runer to seal a purchase of the club and will come up with the £6bn bid the Glazers want. November has been touted as a possible target for completion, but there have been numerous delays and false dawns so far so fans will not be getting overly excited until a deal is done.
Conclusion
Manchester United fans remain frustrated with the current ownership situation and are planning protests ahead of the new season. Negotiations are ongoing but there is no sign of a deal being done anytime soon. The 1958 group are hoping to organise a 60-minute sit-in at Old Trafford after the Nottingham Forest game in August. Qatari Sheikh Jassim remains the front-runner to purchase the club, but there is no sign of a deal being completed in the near future.
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