‘Enough is enough’ – Man Utd fans announce opening day protest

Manchester United supporters group The 1958 have announced plans to stage a protest against the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe ahead of the club’s Premier League opener against Arsenal at Old Trafford later this month.

Ruben Amorims‘ side will tackle Arsenal in their season curtain-raiser on Sunday, August 17. However, the club will have to contain some protest before and during the game.

The 1958, who have organised numerous demonstrations and protests against United’s ownership down the years, will march to Old Trafford with new banners being produced reading ‘Jim Can’t Fix This’.

Ratcliffe secured a minority stake in United last year and the club has since been forced to take some critical decision.

The workforce has been slashed and numerous other unpopular decisions have been made across the board.

Manchester United fans protest in front of the Directors’ Box seats as the players walk out on onto the pitch. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. / (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

A spokesman for The 1958 said: “It’s a new season but the same old ownership issues. Twenty years of the Glazers and their debt mountain is 20 years too long. Enough is enough.

“We won’t allow some natural optimism and a couple of shiny new signings to deflect from the bigger off-field picture. Jim Ratcliffe chose to get into bed with the Glazers and in our opinion is helping keep them in charge.

“So on 17th August, we protest not just against the Glazers, but now also against Jim Ratcliffe – a man once seen by many, including ourselves, as a possible saviour, a beacon of hope but now revealed as complicit in the ongoing erosion of everything that makes our club what it is.

“This is no longer just about ownership; this is about survival – the survival of our identity, our community, and our values.”

The spokesman added the protest is for “every fan who has been silenced, evicted, priced out and disregarded”, adding “this is about the future of football”.

“Jim Ratcliffe, you have chosen your side and it is not ours,” The 1958 member continued. “You now stand shoulder to shoulder with the Glazers.

“The mask has slipped. You are no saviour. You’re like a (red) devil in disguise.”

The 1958 group staged a protest ahead of last season’s game against Arsenal at Old Trafford, urging supporters to wear black to symbolise how the club is “slowly dying”.