Manchester United are set to face another protest this weekend when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League at Old Trafford. The 1958 group, which describes itself as "an underground group of reds intent on upholding the values of Manchester United, its culture and tradition", has called on fans to demonstrate in a show of "anger at the ownership".
Green and gold protest planned
The group, which has more than 150,000 members, issued an appeal on Friday night urging supporters attending the game to wear green and gold, a nod to past protests, and to avoid spending money while at the ground. The demonstration is said to be organised by a coalition of factions including Reclaim the Stretford End, South Stand United and Retro Reds.
Organisers listed grievances against the current owners, the prospect of knocking down Old Trafford as part of a new stadium development, "disrespect" towards ticketholders, falling standards at the club and the compounding of debt. The appeal adds: "Bring your own balloons, scarves and shirts to get behind the team and show the owners we want to stay at Old Trafford and want to see ownership gone. Release as the players come out pre-game".
Previous protests and arrests
The 1958 group previously staged a protest in September over United's approach to tackling ticket touting, arguing that genuine supporters were being unfairly caught in the crossfire. Chants directed at the Glazer family and, with growing frequency, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe have become a regular occurrence in what has been a tough start to the campaign.
Earlier this week, supporters attempted to disrupt the Champions League fixture against Roma by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch as part of another protest. Greater Manchester Police confirmed that three people were arrested for throwing items onto the pitch.
