Manchester United chief executive David Gill has criticised fans planning a protest at the Champions League match against AC Milan on 10 March. Concerned by the debt the club has built up under the Glazers, a number of fans plan to enter the ground 10 minutes after kick off to expose empty seats at the ground with millions of people watching around the world. Gill told Radio 5, ‘[The protest] serves no purpose and it won’t change a thing.
Manchester United chief executive David Gill has criticised fans planning a protest at the Champions League match against AC Milan on 10 March. Concerned by the debt the club has built up under the Glazers, a number of fans plan to enter the ground 10 minutes after kick off to expose empty seats at the ground with millions of people watching around the world. Gill told Radio 5, ‘[The protest] serves no purpose and it won’t change a thing. Let’s not have ridiculous protests of that nature.’ Gill emphasised the long-term nature of the Glazers’ involvement with United, noting that the Glazer family bought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football team in 1995 and were still there 15 years later. Gill also said that there were no plans to sell either Old Trafford or the club’s Carrington training ground. The bond sale prospectus suggested Carrington could be sold to a holding company controlled by the Glazer family and leased back to the club. Gill commented, ‘I am 100% convinced that will never happen under Glazer family ownership. The sale and leaseback opportunity within the bond document is done for financial and tax planning. Manchester United Limited continue to have complete control of Carrington.’
Manchester United Supporters’ Trust chief executive Duncan Drasado found Gill’s assurances unconvincing. He told BBC Sport, ‘The key point here is, how much money are the Glazers putting into Manchester United versus how much they are taking out. The answer is they are putting none in and taking a hell of a lot out. The key to the bond issue is that it has opened the door to Manchester United’s vault and now the Glazers can drive in with a fork-lift truck and load up cash. They are leaching huge amounts of money from our football club – money that fans are paying through huge increases in ticket prices.’ A wealthy group of fans has approached football financier Keith Harris to see if he can broker a purchase of the club from the Glazers. The difficulty is that the club is not for sale. Read more here: Red Knights.