Thousands of Manchester United fans protested before the 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal on Sunday, voicing anger at the club's ownership by the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The demonstration, organised by the 1958 fan group, saw supporters march from the Tollgate pub to Old Trafford, wearing black to symbolise the club 'slowly dying'.
The protesters displayed placards reading 'death by 1,000 cuts', referencing Ratcliffe's cost-cutting measures, which include up to 450 redundancies and the closure of the staff canteen. Chants of 'Your debt not ours' echoed through the streets as red, yellow and green flares were let off, the latter two colours representing the club's original name, Newton Heath.
United have lost £300 million over three years and face a severely restricted summer transfer budget, while the team languishes in 14th place under manager Ruben Amorim. Steve Crompton of the 1958 group said: 'This club is on its knees, the Glazers have put us there and Ratcliffe isn't helping. These fans are angry.'
The protest continued during the match, with Ratcliffe sitting behind co-owner Edward Glazer in the directors' box. The Glazers' tenure has been marked by fan discontent, and Sunday's action was described as one of the largest in recent years.
