Gary Neville on Manchester United fan protests: All fans should unite behind what they've done
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Updated 02/05/2021 at 17:29 GMT
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville hit out yet again at the Glazer family after seeing a crowd invade in Old Trafford as Manchester United fans staged a series of protests against the European Super League and the Glazer family owners. He believes they are a threat to British football and beyond as a result of their ESL plans.
Man Utd fans protest outside Old Trafford
Gary Neville launched another devastating assessment of the Glazer family’s ownership of Manchester United after seeing the fans invade Old Trafford.
Neville and co-pundit Jamie Carragher talked to fans who broke into the ground on Sunday afternoon, and then later gave their views to Sky Sports on the developments.
Neville has already hit out at the Glazers in the immediate aftermath of the European Super League news in April, and recalled similar sentiments in his latest outburst.
“I think all football fans should unite behind what Manchester United fans have done today because what [the Glazers] did two weeks ago was really dangerous for English football: we should not forget that,” he said.
“They tried to walk away and cause a closed-shop league that would have created a famine in this country for every other club.
"This is a consequence of the Manchester United owners' actions two weeks ago. There is a general distrust and dislike of the owners, but they weren't protesting two or three weeks ago."
Fellow former Manchester United player Roy Keane explained that the club’s fans had reached the end of their patience for the owners, having initially resisted the 2004 takeover.
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“It’s come to a tipping point now for the United fans,” Keane observed.
“It was peaceful, there were a few bottles and flares thrown, against Jamie [Carragher] to be fair. They feel enough is enough now at the ownership at the club, the Super League, not being able to support the team over the last year and enough is enough now, they want the Glazers out.”
United's players were kept in at their hotel as a result of earlier protests from fans, who have reacted to the ESL announcement, while the match was later postponed due to safety concerns.
Gary Neville's speech
"The Glazer family are struggling to meet the financial requirements at this club and the fans are saying that their time is up.
"My view is quite simply that they're going to make a fortune if they sell the club and if they were to put it up for sale now I think the time would be right, and it would be the honourable thing to do.
"There's huge discontent, not just across Manchester United fans, but I think for football fans up and down the country and I think they are just saying enough is enough.
"The Glazer family have been resilient and stubborn for many, many years. I think they are struggling to meet the financial demands that this club needs and have done for some time.
"If you think about the club they picked up in 2004, it had the best stadium in the country, one of the best in Europe, it had the best training ground in this country, and probably one of the best in Europe.
"It had a team that was consistently getting to Champions League quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals regularly and winning the league every season or every other season.
"If you look at the club now, this stadium I know it looks great here but if you go behind the scenes it is rusting and rotten. If you look at the training ground it's probably not even the top five in this country, they haven't got to a Champions League semi-final for 10 years.
"We haven't won a league here at Manchester United for 8 years. The land around the ground is undeveloped, dormant and derelict while every other club seems to be developing the facilities and the fan experience.
"This is a consequence of the Manchester United owners' actions two weeks ago. There is a general distrust and dislike of the owners, but they weren't protesting two or three weeks ago.
"You can't force someone to sell a football club and the Glazer family have proven before that they are stubborn and resilient.
But the time has come now, and they are going to make a fortune out of the club, to put it up for sale.
"There is a danger that the people who buy it won't treat it as well but l think it [selling] is the right thing to do.
"We cannot forget what they did two weeks ago, which was really dangerous for English football. They tried to walk away and create a closed shop league that would've created a famine in this country for every other football club.
"They tried to create a famine two weeks ago in English football, in Dutch football, in French football... all over Europe. Those 15 clubs would've walked away from Europe with all that money and would've destroyed the ethos of the pyramid of relegation and promotion. That's number one and it's unforgivable what they did.
"The Glazer family tried to implement something two weeks ago which would've damaged every single community in this country that's got football at the heart of it - and that's why they're dangerous. They are dangerous to the concept of fair play and equal opportunity in football.
"Today there is anger. I would hope that tomorrow it switches towards mobilisation towards reform, regulation and behind the fan-led review.
Maybe I'm being naïve, but Manchester United and Liverpool should be acting like the Grandfathers of English football, demonstrating compassion, spreading their wealth through the family and being fair. But they've demonstrated self greed and tried to walk away with all the money themselves, letting the family struggle below. That's not what you do at these clubs. An apology is not good enough.
"The Glazers say they want to rebuild the trust but they never had the trust of the supporters. He's never communicated to them. He's never said a word. The fans have protested peacefully and it's every person's right. There are six or seven people within English football who have it in their control, and that control has to be taken away from them."
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