It’s official: United are most hated football club

MANCHESTER UNITED are the most hated company in Britain, according to an online survey of more than 1,000 people.

No other organisation in Britain are anywhere near as detested as Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils, who secured 26% of the overall vote in the survey carried out by Online Opinions, with the team’s success, power and huge worldwide following cited as major reasons for aggrieving football fans.

United’s owners, the Glazer family, may not be happy to hear that they run the most hated company in Britain.

The American businessmen are already battling discontent from their own fans, with many upset that the club was plunged into nearly £1billion (€1.3bn) worth of debt when it was purchased.

Second on the list of hated companies was Ryanair, with 23% of those polled claiming to be fed up with the airline’s “money-grabbing” ways. Utility company British Gas was named by 22% of respondents as the company they really can’t stand, after repeatedly raising gas prices.

Despite helping to plunge their country into recession with mountains of bad debt, British government-owned Royal Bank of Scotland was further down the list, sparking rage in just 16% of those taking part in the survey.

Meanwhile, United will attempt to extend their global reach this summer when they meet Barcelona in a friendly in Washington as part of their pre-season tour to the US.

Ferguson’s men are scheduled to meet the current Spanish champions on July 30 at FedEx Field in the US capital in their final game of a five-match tour, which will also see them meet three Major League Soccer sides as well as an All-Star team.

“Tours are a fantastic chance for the players to get away as a unit, to put in some good training sessions and to meet some of our fans around the world who don’t have a chance to watch us play live every week,” said Ferguson.

“Our visits to the US are always enjoyable ones. The training facilities are excellent and we certainly found last year that, with the improving quality of the MLS teams, the games are very competitive.

“To finish off with a match against Barcelona will be a special moment for all our fans in the States.”