Protest group The 1958 have planned a demonstration before Manchester United’s first game of the season against Arsenal at Old Trafford a week on Sunday, and will target minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe for the first time.
The group have been fierce critics of the Glazer family but are setting their sights on Ratcliffe with ‘Jim Can’t Fix This’ banners. Announcing the march, they mocked his plans for a new stadium by branding it the ‘Disneyland of the North’.
The 1958 also warned that a controversial personal seat licence system, which is being considered if United move to a new stadium and would see fans charged up to £4,000 simply for the right to buy a season ticket, ‘would be another step in ripping football away from its working-class roots’.
Dismissing the £130million spent on Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha this summer, a group spokesman said: ‘It's a new season but the same old ownership issues. Twenty years of the Glazers and their debt mountain is 20 years too long. Enough is enough.
‘We won’t allow some natural optimism and a couple of shiny new signings to deflect from the bigger off-field picture. Jim Ratcliffe chose to get into bed with the Glazers and in our opinion is helping keep them in charge.
‘So on August 17, we protest not just against the Glazers, but now also against Jim Ratcliffe – a man once seen by many, including ourselves, as a possible saviour, a beacon of hope but now revealed as complicit in the ongoing erosion of everything that makes our club what it is. This is no longer just about ownership; this is about survival – the survival of our identity, our community, and our values.
‘The systematic eviction of long-standing fans from the South Stand – some who have held seats there for generations – is not just a policy decision, it's an attack on the very soul of Manchester United. These are the people who help build the atmosphere, the tradition, the heartbeat of the club. To cast them aside in favour of sanitised profits and premium experiences is nothing short of disgraceful.
‘The dilution of younger supporters, the austerity imposed on loyal club staff, and the push to create what we fear would become a “Disneyland of the North” show exactly where their priorities lie – not with the fans, not with the community, but with shareholders, executives, and a global brand that strips the club of its roots.
‘Let it be clear: this general vision is not for us. It is not for the fans who travel up and down the country and across Europe. It is not for those who’ve stood in the same spot at Old Trafford for decades. We feel it is for profit – pure and simple. The burden of this greed is being forced onto generational fans, who are being priced out, pushed out, and ignored.
‘Using our club to apparently “sound opinion” on the reaction to personal seat licenses (PSL) is another alarm bell. This would further price out the youth, local communities, and generations of loyal fans. It would be another step in ripping football away from its working-class roots, showing just how out of touch our club and owners have become. This isn’t about the game or the supporters – we feel it’s about profit and greed over loyalty and tradition.
‘We don’t believe a word the club say, as actions speak louder than words and their actions prove their intentions. We will not be silent. We will not be complicit. Jim Ratcliffe, you have chosen your side and it is not ours. You now stand shoulder to shoulder with the Glazers. The mask has slipped. You are no saviour. You’re like a (red) devil in disguise.
‘So we protest for every fan who has been silenced, evicted, priced out and disregarded. This is bigger than one club. This is about the future of football. To those in our fanbase if the penny hasn’t dropped yet. Wake up.’