Soccer

Ole Gunnar Solskjær speaks to Man United fans during protest against Glazers

A group of around 20 fans gained access to the training ground at 9am on Thursday

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke to the group of fans gathered outside the club’s training ground. File photograph: Getty Images

Josh Halliday
Thu Apr 22 2021 - 15:46

The Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, spoke to a group of fans who took their protests against the Glazers to the club's training ground on Thursday.

A group of around 20 fans gained access to United’s Carrington training base on Thursday. A security guard confirmed that the fans were at the facility for around 90 minutes, and that police were called “pretty quickly” to disperse the group, who are understood to have left at around 10.30am.

The protest appeared to be over by 11am with things returning to normal at the state-of-the-art complex, where United players have trained since 2000, with only two security guards patrolling the main entrance.

United said in a statement: “At approximately 9am this morning a group gained access to the club training ground. The manager and others spoke to them. Buildings were secure and the group has now left the site.”

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The Red Issue Twitter account showed an image of fans on a training pitch with a banner reading “Glazers Out” and another saying “51% MUFC 20” in reference to the model of ownership used widely in Germany. In another image, protesters are shown holding a banner reading “we decide when you play” outside the entrance to the main building.

The Old Trafford club have been under the Glazer family’s ownership since they completed their controversial takeover in 2005. Their reputation managed to sink to a new low in recent days after attempting to launch the European Super League.

The United co-chairman, Joel Glazer, was named vice-chairman of the breakaway competition before it swiftly and spectacularly unravelled. United announced that the executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, would leave by the end of the year and Glazer admitted “we got it wrong” in an open letter to fans.

Solskjær is due to speak publicly on the Super League for the first time at his next press conference on Friday. – Guardian

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