Old Trafford was in all kinds of trouble on Sunday and it had nothing to do with a fabled rivalry that was scheduled to play out here later in the day.
Long-running anger against the American owners of Manchester United has boiled over after the club was a part of the failed attempt to take the side into a European Super League.
United and Liverpool were among six Premier League clubs that tried to form an exclusive European Super League along with three clubs each from Spain and Italy. Widespread opposition quickly ended the project, with all six English teams backing out within 48 hours of the announcement.
Manchester United supporters stormed into the stadium and onto the pitch, delaying Sunday’s game against Liverpool, demanding the Glazer family ownership sells the club.
Fans are currently unable to attend games due to the pandemic but they found a way into the stadium. They also climbed onto vantage points next to turnstile entrances and went in through the entrance tunnels.
The family, who also own the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have declined to engage with fans since buying United in 2005 in a leveraged takeover that loaded debt onto the club
Supporters wore green-and-gold scarves and also set off flares in the colors of the club’s 1878 formation. More than 100 fans got inside the stadium.
The invasion of the pitch followed a protest outside the Lowry Hotel, where the United squad traditionally spend the night before any home match in preparation for games.
Police on horseback later cleared protesting fans from outside the stadium, with glass bottles being thrown in brief clashes. Some fans moved back to a main road near the stadium with police forming a line to stop them returning.
United owner Joel Glazer, who was named the European Super League vice-chairman when the announcement was made, has apologised to the fans in an open letter after they withdrew from the project. However, that apology seems to have been rejected by the club's supporter base.
A large number of protesters were seen without masks or maintaining social distancing. England has seen an average of 1,800 fresh cases everyday.
After the unrest and ensuing lockdown, the game has now been postponed due to the damage caused and COVID-19 protocol breach.
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