United fans to step up Glazer fight ‘for the good of football’
Leading members of United's 'Not For Sale' coalition urged a packed public meeting at the Apollo Theatre in Ardwick not to give in despite Glazer holding 76% of the club enough for private ownership.
The coalition made up of members of the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association, Shareholders United and the three main club fanzines will set up working groups to target business partners of both United and Glazer, and lobby politicians and football authorities for a change in the law.
Tony Lloyd, the MP for Manchester Central and founding member for IMUSA, told the rally he believed it was essential that football clubs were exempted from certain laws relating to corporate governance.
Lifelong United fan Lloyd has already spoken out against the takeover in parliament and has pledged to continue the fight to reclaim his club.
Lloyd said: "I am devastated by the idea that someone can come along and say, now it is all mine... and your interest is just snuffed out like that.
"A football club is not about market mechanisms. It's about dreams and memories like Munich 1958 and the European Cup in 1968. It's about things we will dream of in years to come, and that is why it belongs to the supporters.
"I called upon the FA to take some action with regard to Malcolm Glazer, and they told me they had no power to do so... we have got to appeal to the authorities for a change in the law."
Lloyd, who reluctantly hailed Liverpool's Champions League triumph in parliament this week, urged fans of all clubs to join United's fight over an issue whose implications he said would go far beyond the boundaries of Old Trafford.
Lloyd added: "Mr Glazer is not just going to change one club or change the game in Britain. Potentially he is going to change the way football operates around the world. It is going to have a huge impact. not just on United supporters but on virtually every supporter at every level.
"This is about much more than Man United, it is about the whole of football. We have got to make sure those who really built the game and their clubs those who dream and invest in football have their rights heard. And we've got to make sure we use today as a stepping stone."
Supporters attending yesterday's rally were urged to dump gear belonging to United's shirt manufacturers Nike in large bins outside the venue for redistribution to charities.
Fans, who are also targeting primary sponsors Vodafone, are pressing ahead with plans to form the breakaway FC United to hold supporters' groups together for as long as the battle against Glazer continues.
Many fans, including IMUSA chairman Andy Walsh, have refused to renew their season tickets and will instead turn their attention to the proposed non-league club which could be based at The Willows, home of Salford rugby league club.
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