Explained: Why Man Utd fans are protesting against Glazers at Liverpool match

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 22 Aug 2022 19:48 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United supporters have planned a huge protest against the Glazer family’s ownership of the club ahead of their second home match of the season against Liverpool.

The protest comes as a result of 17 years of mismanagement, taking money out of the club, almost non-existent communication between owners and fans and ultimately, poor sporting performances. The fans are therefore angered by the actions of their owners, which they feel has held back their club.

The protest won’t be the first time the club’s supporters have spoken out against the owners, and judging by activity, it won’t be their last either. The summer signings of Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen don't seem to have softened the blow, with fans not letting up in their protests against the Glazers.

So, why is there so much hatred between fans and owners, and why are the supporters demanding the owners to leave the club?

How did the Glazers get control of Manchester United?

The Glazer family bought their first shares in the club in 2003, purchasing a 2.3 per cent stake after Manchester United’s board had begun a search for new investment.

By the end of 2003, the Glazers had increased their stake to 15% and they started to explore a takeover bid, much to the dismay of the supporters.

Step by step, the Glazers increased their stake and they had almost reached the 30% required for an official takeover bid by October 2004.

In May 2005, the Glazers bought J.P McManus and John Magnier’s 28.7% stake to take their overall investment to a controlling stake of 57%.

Within a month, the Glazers (brothers Joel and Avram) had reached the 97.6% threshold to force a compulsory buyout of all the remaining Man Utd shareholders.

They were thus officially the owners of Manchester United at a valuation of £790 million.

Why are the fans protesting their ownership?

The Glazers’ takeover was immediately met by anger and mass protests from Man Utd supporters.

Supporters were furious that the American family purchased Manchester United via a leveraged buyout which was funded by loans – many of which were secured against the club’s assets.

The loans came to a total of £660m and were provided by three American hedge funds. This thrust Manchester United into debt for the first time in over 70 years.

These debts were then to be paid off from future profits, with interest payments of over €60 million a year.

The Glazers were painted by fans as money and power-hungry leeches who only cared about lining their own pockets - this opinion has stayed stable throughout.

The fact that the club has paid out over £1 billion in dividends and bank fees to the Glazers since their takeover seems to support that notion.

As does the fact that the Glazers even took out money during the Coronavirus pandemic – costing the club over €100m in revenue.

The Glazers were also accused of not caring about sporting success. This complaint seems to be supported by the fact that executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward remained in his job from 2013 until 2021, despite Man Utd failing to win the Premier League or challenging for the Champions League during that time.

Things have derailed even more this season, as new head coach Erik ten Hag hasn't been able to turn around their fortunes on the pitch.

A protest against Liverpool won’t be the first – they did the same ahead of the same match in 2021, after Manchester United signed up for the failed European Super League, and that ensured the game was postponed.

The Man Utd fans plan to protest on Monday by not attending the match, which is seen as their biggest of the season.