Just a week after the revealing interview from global superstar, and now former Manchester United player, Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s American owners have decided to sell.
The Glazer family purchased the club in May 2005, with much of their money having been borrowed; the debt was then transferred to the club. United fans were rightly furious about this, and the fires of that rage haven’t gone out in the last sixteen years.
So why have they now decided to sell, after all these years of ignoring the fan’s pleas?
Infastructure
According to Ronaldo, the club’s famous Carrington institute has seen little to no change in the past sixteen years, which came as little surprise to any match-going fans who have seen the decay of Old Trafford first-hand.
While likening United to Madrid, and Juventus, Ronaldo claims they are leaps and bounds ahead, with state-of-the-art tech, as are most other top-flight teams.
It was reported in August ’22 that the Glazers were considering selling a minority stake in the club to help pay for the much-needed revamp of Old Trafford, although that didn’t cut it. The Glazers have spent a measly £98 million on infrastructure in the last twelve years. It has been projected that a plan to demolish Old Trafford and build a new state-of-the-art stadium would cost upwards of 1.5 billion.
The #glazersout movement
#Glazersout has been trending more often than not in the last decade. At the time of writing this article, #Glazersout is trending number one on Twitter, higher than the World Cup. Fans have repeatedly flown banners and protested outside the ground, and even succeeded in having the match against Liverpool postponned, as fans stormed the ground, popping green and gold flares.
Although they have invested money in the team over the years, the Glazers have ignored the fan’s wishes, focusing solely on growing the commerical value of the club above all other concerns. Football teams should be focused on football. Period. It’s little wonder the fans have rebelled time and time again.
Competition
Many of us can remember a time when the Premier League was ruled by its “Top 4” although those days are gone. With new investors from across the globe interested in buying up teams, the league has never been so flush with cash.
With Newcastle now looking to steal a top-four spot, the stakes are higher even than before. Teams like United, Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea, are now battling for one of those coveted spots at the top of the table that put teams into Europe.
Each year United miss out on Champion’s League football, the club takes a massive financial hit. With it now harder than ever to reach those heights, much investment is needed. The Glazers simply do not have the funds.
Super League
The Super League debacle of 2020 has gone down as one of the most memorable events in sporting history. UEFA and FIFA have been at the top of the football pyramid for generations, although the massive clubs generation most of the revenue decided they should be the ones calling the shots. It would have seen an alternate model that would shift power away from governing bodies and into their hands.
Big clubs with greedy owners decided they were going to do it their way, and they didn’t care who was upset by it. To hell with “legacy” fans, they thought smugly.
But the move tremendously back-fired, and one casualty of this war was the career of Ed Woodward, as Manchester United sporting director. An underqualified banker, who reportedly didn’t even understand the Offside rule until a few years ago.
It was one of those times when football fans forgot their differences, and achieved a major victory against corporate greed with their solidarity.
The Glazers lost out on a deal that would have seen them reap unprecedented earnings. Many believe this was the beginning of the end.
The lack of success on the pitch
Sir Alex seen holding his last trophy of his career at United!
Since the Glazer’s acquisition of United in 2005, United have won twenty trophies.
However, any trophies won between 05-13 can be attributed to the brilliance of Sir Alex Ferguson, who famously said “no value in the market”, as an excuse for the Glazers’ unwillingness to invest money in the team. The hard-nosed Scottsman was a winner right until the end of his career.
Ever since his departure, United have enjoyed these honours…
- 1 FA Cup (2015-16)
- 1 UEFA Europa League (2016-17)
- 1 EFL/ Carabao Cup (2016-17)
- 1 Community Shield (2016-17)
For a club like Manchester United with a legacy of success on the pitch these are almost laughable accomplishments in the past nine years without Sir Alex.
But will new owners bring much-needed change to the infastructure, and the way the club is run?
Only time will tell.
Mark Lore Blogging 
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