A Manchester United supporters’ group has postponed a demonstration against the club’s ownership planned for the day of their opening game of the Premier League season.
The 1958 had organised a protest march to Old Trafford on August 17, ahead of United’s clash with Arsenal, with banners referring to minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The 1958 has overseen numerous demonstrations in recent years, principally aimed at unpopular majority shareholders the Glazers, but frustration has now spread to Ratcliffe.
The billionaire British businessman, who owns a 28.94 per cent stake in United, has instigated wide – often unpopular – changes since taking over day-to-day operational control from the Glazers in February 2024.
“Jim Ratcliffe chose to get into bed with the Glazers and, in our opinion, is helping keep them in charge,” said a group representative, who added Ratcliffe was “no saviour” and “like a (red) devil in disguise,” last week.
However, after conducting a survey, the group has acknowledged opinion is split and the time is not right for a protest.
A statement read: “With a fanbase as diverse and passionate as ours, finding the right balance isn’t always easy. We’ve had to consider momentum, timing, fan appetite, broader consequences of protest activity whilst assessing how current and future decisions may impact us as fans.
“Given the current sentiment within the fanbase and particularly in light of these recent survey results, it’s clear there is no unified view on the direction of the club under Ratcliffe.
“That split is real, and we believe it would be irresponsible to risk creating a situation that could result in any ‘red on red’ conflict inside or outside the stadium.”
The group say almost 63 per cent of the near 26,000 respondents to their survey said Ratcliffe and his Ineos company should be held to account for their decisions so far by means of a protest. However, 68 per cent also believed they should be given more time.
