Man Utd supporters call on sponsors to help oust Glazers
The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), the voluntary organisation looking to force a change of ownership at the Premier League club, is calling on United’s corporate sponsors to join its battle to out the Glazer family.
MUST wants sponsors such as Nike and Budweiser to put pressure on the Glazers on behalf of fans. Many United fans are angry about the way current owners the Glazer family have managed the club and the £700m debt with which it has been saddled.
To date, the group claims over 154,000 fans worldwide have become members.
MUST says that a change of ownership at the club would “create hugely enhanced value” for sponsors because it would bring the “whole Manchester United family back together”.
The group is supporting the Red Knights, the group of City financers looking to seize control of the club. The Knights are said to be in talks with a range of potential investors aimed at raising funds to launch a bid in excess of £1bn for the club.
Duncan Drasdo, chief executive of MUST, says: “Sponsors wish to benefit from the affinity generated by association with the most loved football club in the world but the commercial value of that relationship is being diminished due to the unpopularity of the current owners.”
MUST projected its message on the side of Old Trafford on Friday (23 April) evening. The message to the sponsors was “Time to choose sides: The Fans or the Glazers?”
