Hundreds of Manchester United supporters, many wearing clown masks, marched on Old Trafford on Sunday to protest against the club’s ownership, likening its management under the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe to a circus.
The Glazer family has faced sustained fan fury since their controversial takeover of the Red Devils in 2005, with various supporter groups orchestrating protests against the American owners for years.
The 1958 fan group organised the latest anti-ownership demonstration ahead of Sunday afternoon’s Premier League clash against Fulham, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who became co-owner in February 2024, also a target of their intensified criticism.
The group recently claimed that United is “being dragged through chaos by clown ownership” and is being “run like a circus”, a sentiment visually reinforced by numerous members donning clown masks during the march.
Protesters chanted against the owners and displayed banners as smoke from flares filled the air, accompanying their procession down Sir Matt Busby Way to the stadium forecourt.
Greater Manchester Police estimated between 500 and 600 protesters were present, confirming that no arrests were made.
Steve Crompton, spokesperson for the 1958, told the Press Association: “It is a protest now about this partnership with Ineos and the Glazers that, just for me, isn’t working.
“The last two games have been fantastic and there’s been an upturn in what we’re seeing on the pitch, but what we do has never been about what happens on the pitch.”
Since his arrival, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has overseen a series of contentious changes, with ticket pricing and availability sparking particular anger among the fanbase.
“We want our football club back,” Mr Crompton asserted. “Everything that’s happening. We’ve got over 95,000 members that follow us. Over 50 per cent of them are matchgoing fans and what’s happening to matchgoing fans is just getting ridiculous. Fans are getting priced out of coming.
“I had a look this morning for the Villa game, and they’re selling tickets all over the stadium minimum of £300 as hospitality. There’s no tickets available to members to buy just as a standard ticket, so how do these fans to get to games anymore? It’s becoming unaffordable. That affects exactly what we want in the ground, which is a great atmosphere created by fans.”
The protest, announced 24 days prior, was explicitly stated to be independent of on-field results, despite United’s recent upturn in form.
“This is never about the manager or the players,” Mr Crompton added. “We’ll support them through thick and thin. And, let’s be honest, it’s been pretty thick for quite a while now.
“We’ll always back the team. That’s what you do as a supporter. But, you know, let’s not punish these supporters that want to back the team for a quick buck, which is where we’re at with it.”
