Manchester United are facing crippling debts and Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already made sweeping changes around the club to cut costs, with fans up in arms over the dire situation at Old Trafford
A Manchester United fans group has urged supporters to wear black at a protest before this weekend’s game against Arsenal to show how the club is “slowly dying” under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers.
United supporters have been vocal about their frustration towards the club, which is in a difficult position after announcing 200 redundancies last week, in addition to making a further 250 job cuts last year.
The club’s debt is believed to be around £731m plus another £300m in transfer fees owed. Boss Ruben Amorim has already claimed United will have to sell before they can buy this summer to paint a picture of the dire situation.
Fans have also been angered about the rise in ticket prices to £66 and a protest took place before and during the team’s FA Cup exit against Fulham on Sunday – hitting out at Ratcliffe for “exploiting our loyalty”. They also held up banners that said “your debt, not ours”.
Now the 1958 group have sent a message to United fans asking them to join their protest by wearing black this weekend, as they warned the club was facing “financial armageddon” and claimed the Red Devils had become a laughing stock.
“The club is slowly dying before our eyes, on and off the pitch and the blame lies squarely at the current ownership model,” the group said. “In many ways, this is the biggest crisis United has faced since the Munich air disaster which inspires our name.
“The club is facing financial armageddon. Debt is the road to ruin. Sir Matt Busby would be turning in his grave at the current plight of one of the world’s greatest football institutions which is being brought to its knees and in many ways becoming a laughing stock.
“The club is going backwards and it’s likely to get even worse. We urge fans to rise up, unite and join us at 3pm on Sunday as we march to the ground and protest against the despised Glazers and the club’s deliberate assault on fan culture.
“We have been working hard across both club and non-club boundaries for the betterment of fans, our club and football for some time. Today we announced protest details which will not just be limited to action at the ground. This is more than just a club to us. We more than just a number on a seat.”
The ongoing problems behind the scenes have seen coaches limited to soups and sandwiches in the canteen as Ratcliffe continues to make sweeping cuts around the club after five years of losing money.
Last week, Amorim suggested the players were to blame for the club’s predicament. He said: “We have to address all the problems in the club but one important piece of this moment is to understand how we got to this situation and it has a lot to do with the lack of success of the football team because we are the engine of any football club.”
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