Former Manchester United director Michael Knighton has criticised the Glazer family’s ownership of the club in a bid to urge them to sell up.
Knighton has made his feelings known while also pleading to Sir Alex Ferguson to act and help force the Glazers to get out of town.
Everyone can see that anger from supporters has intensified in recent weeks – but still ever-existent for the past 16-years since their debt-ridden takeover of the club in 2005 – with attempts to force a European Super League being the tip of the iceberg.
Knighton has history with United after trying to buy the club in 1989.
The attempt fell through and he was subsequently offered a place on the club’s board.
In a new video on the Man Utd The Religion YouTube channel, Knighton says the Glazers are ‘finished’.
“They’re finished in my book, completely. You can’t undo what has been done and it’s no good making platitude statements like ‘oh well we’ll engage with you now and we’ll listen to what you have to say,” Knighton said.
“It’s all nonsense, it’s absolute nonsense. They are empty words, these big six don’t even know the tidal wave, the tsunami of anger that they have unleashed against themselves – they all need to go, all six of them.
“I’m speaking directly to you now, Glazer brothers. You know, you’ve taken £1billion pounds out of this football club either servicing your debt interest or your personal dividends.
“Don’t you think that’s enough? It’s time to go and I’m asking you, I’m pleading with you to do the right thing, sell this football club to real football people and go and spend your money elsewhere.”
Few Reds want to talk about what Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t do in the wake of the takeover. Former United fanzine Red Issue has never shied away from the references, keeping fellow United fans in-the-know.
It’s one that can get people talking – though sadly it doesn’t always end in constructive debate. Fergie probably felt he was retiring soon and didn’t want to deal with something so big at the time, but it has blown up and seeing the former manager become vocal against the Glazers would only add more fuel to the fire.
Knighton also issued a plea to Fergie, as a former colleague at United.
“Sir Alex Ferguson, it’s now time to stand up for your principles, so please tell the world how you feel,” he added. “You shouldn’t be invisible, you should be speaking your mind because people would listen to you.”
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