Manchester United Fans Protest Ratcliffe and Glazers Before City Derby

Manchester United supporters staged a major protest before Sunday’s derby at Old Trafford, with around 500 fans gathering to voice opposition to ticketing sanctions, rising costs and plans for a proposed new stadium. The demonstration placed Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family at the centre of supporters’ anger as United prepared for a high-pressure meeting with Manchester City.

What changed for the club

The protest began outside The Bishop Blaize pub before moving along Sir Matt Busby Way towards Old Trafford. Chants criticised both Ratcliffe and the Glazers, while supporters also rejected the club’s stadium proposals.

Banners made the hostility towards the ownership clear. Messages included “JIM AIN’T THE ONE” and “JIM CAN’T FIX THIS”, while another accused the club of taking money from supporters through premium pricing while issuing bans without justification.

The 1958 said recent decisions had crossed a line. At the front of the march, one banner declared: “We want our club back.” Another referred to the club as being “Broken by a horse. Destroyed by snakes + rats.”

• Supporters protested season-ticket sanctions and increased matchgoing costs.
• The proposed new ground was also directly targeted in chants.
• TRA did not stage its customary Stretford End derby display.
• Instead, the group placed a banner above the players’ tunnel reading: “THE WAY YOU TREAT US IS A DISGRACE”.

Competition context

The demonstration came before a derby carrying significant sporting importance for Michael Carrick’s side. United are 13th in the table with four points from their opening three matches, having recorded one win, one draw and one defeat.

City arrive in third place after winning all three of their league games, taking nine points from nine. Enzo Maresca’s side therefore bring a perfect early record into an occasion already shaped by deep tension between United’s support and hierarchy.

For Carrick, the task is to keep the squad focused amid an increasingly hostile backdrop around the club and secure a result that could ease pressure on a side still searching for momentum.

What is scheduled next

United’s immediate priority is Sunday’s Old Trafford derby against City. The match will take place with the supporters’ dispute with the boardroom firmly in view, following a protest that extended from the streets outside the ground into the stadium itself.

A demanding run of matches follows the derby, increasing the urgency for United to improve their league position while the club hierarchy confronts the backlash over its recent decisions.