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Footie fans in revolt

Freedom Press | 27.01.2010 14:31 | Other Press | Social Struggles

Fans of Manchester United stepped up their campaign against the club’s corporate owners who have continued to borrow heavily against the premier league team, taking it to the verge of financial collapse.



More than 300 angry Man U fans attended a joint meeting between the independent supporters association and the Supporters Trust, a grassroots body fighting for the fan ownership of the club, to oust the current owners, American businessman Malcolm Glazer and his family. Since taking control in 2005 Glazer has saddled the club with a massive debt of over £720m, including interest repayments of £60 million a year, and is in the process of borrowing a further £504m, fuelling fears the club has no money left.

More militant protestors have taken the campaign to the terraces. Season ticket holders were beaten by stewards and forcibly removed from the ground during a match with Burnley for unfurling a Love United Hate Glazer banner. The home crowd responded by chanting anti-Glazer songs throughout the rest of the game. Fans have also started wearing green and gold on the terraces, a nod to United’s original colours and working class roots when they formed as Newton Heath in 1878 as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot in North Manchester.

There is upsurge of unrest amongst ordinary supporters, increasingly angered by the way multi-millionaire club owners are using the loyalty of fans and the brand name of major league clubs to create massive debts and fuel their personal fortunes.

 http://www.freedompress.org.uk/news/2010/01/26/footie-fans-in-revolt/

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Comments

Display the following 14 comments

  1. question — the cisco kid
  2. Cisco — fly poster
  3. @ flyposter — @nne
  4. Massonic Sports — Champions Lodge
  5. and maybe, cisco kid, that is why.. — D02
  6. Fair play! — Villa Anti-fascist
  7. WTF?? — pk
  8. pedants... — football fan
  9. never been to a footie match, but I thought they were mostly middle class now? — anon
  10. @ D02 — the cisco kid
  11. @nne — Fly Poster
  12. MAN U? — fergie betaboutit
  13. @cisco — D02
  14. I used to follow football ...... — anon