Anger as United fans fight dirty in Glazer takeover
United have condemned the late night attack at Watkins’ home in Heaton Moor during which his Jaguar, an Audi and his house were all daubed in red paint.
Greater Manchester Police are investigating the incident but there seems little doubt it was related to Watkins’ decision to sell a million club shares in April, which ended up being part of Glazer’s 19.1% stake in the Old Trafford club.
Watkins, 61, is a well-respected figure in world soccer and has provided legal expertise to both FIFA and UEFA as well as being the public face of many United disciplinary matters, including the decision to appeal against Rio Ferdinand’s eight-month ban for a missed drugs test.
The attack has come as a shock to Watkins, who appears to have become the latest victim of the militant section of the United support prepared to ‘fight dirty’ in their battle to keep the club out of Glazer’s clutches.
Their previous tactics included staging a racecourse protest at Hereford earlier this year in response to the intervention of major shareholders John Magnier and JP McManus, who will be pivotal to Glazer’s chances of taking control.
It is doubtful whether such incidents will gain too much sympathy for their cause and it has certainly not gone down well at Old Trafford.
“Manchester United condemns the acts of vandalism committed against one of its directors, Maurice Watkins, yesterday,” said a club spokesman.
“The behaviour of a few individuals does nothing to enhance the reputation of the club they claim to support.”
United supporters groups are opposed to any takeover by Glazer. They believe the billionaire owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL franchise would substantially raise ticket prices in an effort to pay off the hefty loan they think he needs to acquire the club, whilst also maintaining a healthy profit margin.
Representatives of fans group Shareholders United (SU) staged a demonstration against Glazer prior to Sunday’s clash with Middlesbrough and have been inundated with inquiries over the last 48 hours in response to their rallying call.
According to spokesman Duncan Drasdo, the reaction has been stunning.
“Fans from all over the world have made contact with us, especially in the United States where they almost seem to feel a sense of responsibility because it’s Malcolm Glazer,” he said.
“One of the most astounding aspects is the emotion coming out. No-one knows whether Glazer is going to go through with this but even if we put him off this time, someone else could come along and we need to increase our strength to stop it happening.”
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