In 2005, some 300 supporters took part in a march to protest against the club’s new owners, shortly after the Glazer family completed their purchase of Manchester United.
Those protests continued for a time, with supporters showing their displeasure with the signs and wearing the club’s original green and golden colors on match days.
However, sixteen years later, and those protests have been largely forgotten, at least outside the joint circles.
On Sunday, however, 2,000 or so fans who turned up at Old Trafford made sure their voices were heard, forgetting the events of May 2 after making certain scenes and Postpone United’s clash with rival Liverpool.
A fortnight before the announcement of the Super-Fade Super League, supporters dreamed at the Drama of Theater, eager to let the Glazers know what they thought about the part they proposed to the breakaway competition.
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“Apology not accepted,” read several banners, referenced Joel Glazer fans open letter Following a joint decision to opt out of the new tournament.
“We want the Glazers out,” filled the air, with the Super League ruling a 16-year-old feud that some people here on Sunday would not survive when it first started. The message was loud, and it was clear.
Gary Neville on Sky Sports said, “This is a warning to football club owners that eventually they (fans) will not accept what they said on Sky Sports in the last few weeks.” There was so much success in the attack by the opposing public.
That warning may or may not be seen, but certainly the Glazers cannot ignore the events of this fatal afternoon.
The participants were already tense that the planned protest would be peaceful, and on the whole it was.
Parents rushed to demand change with their children, instead of acting unsteadily towards the club they love.
2 pm BST (9 am ET) – 2 1/2 hours before kickoff against Jurgen Klopp’s side – things changed.
Two bangs of fireworks can be heard on the Old Trafford forecourt, which is understood to have been a sign for fans to begin heading towards the stadium.
A 1,000-person-strong crowd was able to break through barriers to guard the entrances and head, forcing staff members to lock themselves in rooms for safety as the old stadium was put into lockdown.
As supporters stormed the pitch, there was no doubt what they really wanted: a change of hands at the top of their football club.
While most limited their protests to chanting and banners, one group could be seen playing with the ball of the match, while others hoisted flags around the arena. Sky Sports had a flare in the direction of the television stage, but the trouble was limited to a minority, before they eventually came back out.
The protest was not limited to the land alone.
At Manchester City Center, members of the United Squad could be seen peeping through the windows of their rooms inside the Lorry Hotel as fans began to gather outside the team’s usual prematch base.
“We’ll decide when you’re going to play,” Ole Gunnar was singing as Coach Slate took to Solskar and his players stopped supporters in the game.
Fans are eager to remind the sport’s power brokers that they are the most powerful voice. Talk on money continues, but the power of protest can only be stronger.
Throughout the city, Liverpool players and coaches were instructed to do their work in their hotel as the play is played elsewhere. One number chose to watch television coverage, while others retreated to their rooms to prepare for a game, which they still believed would happen.
An hour before kickoff, it was a sentiment most shared.
Despite COVID-19 rules being violated, some fans with target understanding were able to gain access to the combined dressing room, the team lineup was announced and reporters found zoom links for the postmatch virtual press conference.
However, as it was close to business just like at noon, overhead police helicopters could be heard and referee Michael Oliver was forced to circle the stadium to ensure that the stands were completely clear for the protesters.
The security guards at the club were prepared for an afternoon of crowd dealing for the first time in more than a year, but – perhaps the gullible people did not expect that they would advance.
After cleaning the stadium, a very small number of fans could be seen colliding with police around the entrance to the Munich tunnel, including those set to face punishment from Greater Manchester Police.
The majority, however, acted in peace, and it is perhaps their action that would have the most far-reaching consequences.
“Manchester are passionate about United and we fully accept the right to free expression and peaceful protest,” the club said in a statement, exactly one hour after the original kickoff The stability has to be postponed later at 5:35 pm. Time.
“However, we regret the disintegration of the team and the actions that endanger other fans, staff and police.”
The people of The Lorry announced the closure of the game, their victory for fan power and protests to make headlines around the world.
Their battle is not over though.
“It’s not going away,” Neville warned the Glazers. “I don’t think they (fans) trust the owners of this club, they don’t like it, they think they should leave.
“After today, it should be about reform and regulation and make sure that they cannot do it again (breakaway competition). It is the right of every person in this country to resist, and we must uphold it.
However, beyond today it is a matter of ensuring that fans across the country unite to ensure that English football improves.
“If anything, today has become a precursor to that, or today would be a waste of time.”
It should have been a day when tensions between Manchester United and Liverpool supporters were at their highest, and yet the opposing fan base find themselves banding together for a common cause.
Given the history of the rivalry, that probably should be related to all those who own the largest club in the world.
This too, is just the beginning. The Glazers and others are set for an inconvenient end to the season and beyond.
Additional reporting by Neil Jones.
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