Man Utd fans invade Old Trafford pitch & block team bus in anti-Glazer protest
A number of Manchester United supporters have invaded the Old Trafford pitch, with others preventing the team bus from reaching the stadium in a protest against the Glazer family's ownership
The Red Devils are supposed to playing Liverpool at 4:30pm, although it is widely expected that kick off may be pushed back due to the incident.
As per footage shared by Cantona_Collars on Twitter, the supporters let off flares and sang anti-Glazer songs next to the United team coach which of 2:30pm of Sunday - just two hours before kick off - had not started its short journey from the Lowry Hotel in Salford to Old Trafford.
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— Red Issue (@RedIssue) May 2, 2021
The demonstrators were small in number compared with the thousands of fans who have gathered at the stadium to protest before the Liverpool game. Footage posted by now defunct United fanzine Red Issue, even showed some protesters gaining access to the pitch.
According to Carl Anka, others were seen to be gathering near to where the team bus usually makes its entrance on matchday.
14:00 start time for the protest was a decoy‼️#GlazersOut pic.twitter.com/FqPVbbWlsG
— Cantona Collars - Legacy Fan Since 1980 (@Cantona_Collars) May 2, 2021
The Glazers are extremely unpopular in Manchester for various reasons. Their failure to invest in the infrastructure of the club has led to dwindling returns on the pitch and their recent backing of a breakaway Super League has reignited the campaign to get them to sell the club. It is believed that as many as 10,000 United supporters could turn out at the the stadium on Sunday afternoon prior to kick off.
As per Laurie Whitwell, discussions are currently ongoing to discern whether the protest represents a breach of both team's Covid-19 bubbles. If this is the case, it seems likely that the match will be called off.
The demonstrations are the latest in an upward trend of fan activism seen since the unveiling of the Super League last month. Match-going fans of the Premier League clubs involved all protested against the proposals. Chelsea supporters engaged in a particularly high profile demonstration, which coincided with the beginning of the end for the breakaway competition.