Manchester United have denied any instruction was given for players to prioritise VIP guests over paying supporters, after footage circulating on social media appeared to show a group of first-team players being directed towards a roped-off area while other fans were left waiting nearby.
The clip, shared by EPL Bible, shows Noussair Mazraoui giving a pitchside interview ahead of United’s Champions League opener against Sabah FK, with several teammates visible walking towards supporters on one side of the barrier while others stand ignored on the other.
Accompanying social media posts claimed the players had been told to acknowledge only those who had paid for VIP access, with some accounts alleging staff instructed the squad to ignore fans who “haven’t paid”. That specific claim comes from posts around the video rather than any verified club statement, and the footage itself does not establish who, if anyone, gave the players direction.
What United have said
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United have pushed back firmly on the suggestion that players were told to snub non-VIP fans. According to the Daily Mail, relayed by The Peoples Person, the club “have strenuously denied suggestions that players have been told not to sign autographs for non-VIP supporters on matchdays”.
The report adds that while hospitality guests do have a designated viewing area for team arrivals – a setup that was also in place last season – “there is no obligation for players to stop for anybody, let alone avoid a certain group of supporters”, according to the same account.
A crackdown and a march already straining trust
The row lands at a sensitive moment. United recently confirmed a crackdown on ticket touting after investigating 1,617 accounts, resulting in bans and sanctions across a significant chunk of the fanbase.
| Accounts Investigated | Accounts Banned | Sanctioned/Warned |
| 1,617 | 685 | 464 |
Hundreds of supporters marched towards Old Trafford before Sunday’s Manchester derby ticketing protest, organised by The 1958, over the club’s approach to ticketing and treatment of match-going fans. Inside the ground, another group swapped the usual Stretford End flag display for a banner reading “THE WAY YOU TREAT US IS A DISGRACE”, aimed squarely at the club’s owners and decision-makers.
Earlier this year, a long-standing supporter whose family had held the same seat for generations was among those moved to make way for hospitality customers – a decision that continues to colour how fans read every matchday image involving VIP access.
Why the players shouldn’t carry the blame
The footage shows what happened in front of the camera, not why it happened. It does not prove the players themselves chose who to acknowledge, and any pre-match arrival route past a dedicated hospitality zone – a feature United say already existed last season – could easily produce the same optics without a single instruction being issued.
That distinction matters, particularly with United back in Carabao Cup action against Brighton this week and Old Trafford’s matchday operations under constant scrutiny. The broader argument, over hospitality’s growing footprint at the expense of traditional supporters, was never really about a handshake in the first place.