Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have great intentions for the future of Manchester United, but no fan in the right mind trusts the Glazer family. Neither should our new minority stakeholder in his attempts to get a foot in at Old Trafford after buying 25% of the club.
Manchester United fan group The 1958 have promised to continue to protest against the Glazers, despite Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival which was announced on Christmas Eve.
Ratcliffe and his INEOS remit will take control of football operations, but it now sounds like they will be working on commercial teams following the appointment of Omar Berrada as chief executive.
On Wednesday, The 1958 published their official reaction to the club’s new investment model and they said they hoped Ratcliffe would be an ally and a vehicle to eventually remove the Glazers.
“When change is upon us, we think it’s prudent to assess the situation before reacting,” said a spokesperson from the group, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News.
“With the impending investment into the club by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the announcement our club will be appointing a new CEO, we feel the right decision is to keep monitoring progress and let the new structure and strategy play out.
“We believe the Ratcliffe investment and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing gives us more hope for a brighter future and a potential clearer pathway towards majority ownership further down the line.
“This doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels. The aftermath of the European Super League is proof sitting back and doing nothing is not an option. We are working towards a next phase, strategy and plan.”
The statement continued: “We have more than 52,000 supporters signed up to our ‘Claim Back United’ website. Over 29,000 being season ticket holders or members. Now is the time to develop that intent and move forward with our plans.
“A generation of supporters have fought and battled to rid our club of these owners. We never wanted them at the start and we don’t want them now. We owe it to ourselves and the legacy of these efforts to ensure they are removed.
“We hope Sir Jim is an ally and vehicle in making this happen. Do not forgive and do not forget the damage the Glazers have done to our club and fan base.
“We will be watching developments closely and will continue our fight until the Glazers have been removed. This has always been one of our primary objectives. We will update more soon.”
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