Home Football Why Protests At Old Trafford Good For Football

Why Protests At Old Trafford Good For Football

65
0
Why Protests At Old Trafford Good For Football

Old Trafford was red with flares last night as fans poured in to protest against Manchester United’s ownership.

Subsequently, the Premier League tie between The Red Devils and Liverpool had to be postponed for breaking COVID-19 protocols.

Jamie Carragher passionately defended the fans’ need to protest. The Glazers family are highly unpopular amongst the fans due to their controversial methods of running Manchester United.

Carragher said, “Do we want to see supporters storming stadiums left, right and centre and getting games called off? No we don’t! But, I’m not someone who will sit here and criticise Manchester United fans for today because I’m Liverpool.

“I think two weeks ago, supporters came together through the Super League for the first time. I’ve just been looking on my phone and I see the reaction of Liverpool supporters, but you go back a few weeks ago and Liverpool supporters were involved with a bus [window being smashed] and got plenty of criticism. There will always be idiots who get involved.

“This thing that Manchester United fans have done today, I think it’s actually a good thing, in terms of protesting about what you are not happy about is going on at the club. There will always be one or two people who take it too far.

“Should that ruin it for everyone? No, and it shouldn’t dominate things when it’s other clubs, but I see supporters from other clubs trying to score points, but supporters protesting about what is not right about your football club, I’m behind that, whether that be Newcastle fans with Mike Ashley, Arsenal fans against [Stan] Kroenke, whoever it is.

“If there’s a few idiots doing stupid things, nobody here is condoning that, we’ve lost a game of football here today but you know what, the position I’m in, I accept that. What United fans in the last 10 or 15 years have been going through – and when I say going through, I mean what they have done to their football club – they are not happy about it and should be able to protest. And when you have got that many people who are unhappy and protesting there will be a few idiots and that will dominate the news.

“But this happens to fans all the time. We’ve seen it with Liverpool fans, where one clip goes everywhere when there are lots of other people doing really good things, and it’s the same with supporters up and down this country.

“I don’t want to see this being used by supporters scoring points of Manchester United, and I don’t like to see it about my own club or other fans.

“What we got two weeks ago was brilliant; fans all coming together. I know it’s never going to stay like that, I’m not naive to think that, but your Manchester United supporters on the back of that have had a demonstration. In the main, the main aim of this was unhappiness with their owners and what happened a few weeks ago.

“If you aren’t happy with your owners, you should be able to demonstrate. The majority of Manchester United supporters that I spoke to here, were peaceful.”

“From when I was a kid, going back 40 years, how football supporters were treated off the back of certain situations, I think about my own city and the club I love and how it was portrayed following two disasters, Heysel and Hillsborough, and this is obviously nowhere near that,” he added.

“But what I am trying to say is let’s not try to paint this just because of a few idiots, because someone threw a can or a flare. I’m still defending Manchester United fans.

“Let’s not forget that this is against this football club’s ownership, I’m going back further when I was a kid and how football fans were treated and how they were portrayed in the media on the back of a few idiots.

“Manchester United fans are here because they are fuming at how their football club is being run. Should they storm the pitch? Should they throw a flare? No. But we are talking about thousands of people.

“We saw Arsenal fans [protesting], we saw Chelsea fans trying to stop a game until Petr Cech came out and they dropped out of the Super League. I’m sure Liverpool fans may do something similar.

“I’m sticking with any football supporter in this country because in the main, they are very good people who love their football clubs, and that’s what Manchester United fans have done today.

“Football supporters get portrayed as animals, and we may see that on the front and back pages tomorrow, but the majority of Manchester United fans have come here for a peaceful protest and let’s hope that message doesn’t get ruined.

“Let’s not get away from why it was done, and why this protest has happened, and why any other set of supporters in their position would have done exactly the same.”

READ MORE: Manager Hands Edinson Cavani Open Invitation To Stay At Manchester United

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here