It’s been quite a few days hasn’t it?
On Tuesday, the long-rumoured news that the Glazers were finally going to sell United was officially confirmed. We now, after 17 years, have the chance to see the change that so many United fans have dreamed of.
This has been a long journey for many of us, including days when few others stood on the protest line. But that is why MUST remained here all through those hard times when many other fan groups would have folded tents and gone home. 17 years of largely (apart from our loyal members) thankless campaigning but now we must step up again and ensure our fans views are represented in this crucial period.While our tactics have changed over the years, the goal has always been the same. That is to rebuild United as a club where the fans voice is heard loud and clear, and influential right at the top of the club. And a club where the owners prioritise football over money.
We received early information about the potential sale story so the MUST team was ready to move swiftly into action with dozens of media appearances explaining why so many United fans want rid of the Glazers, and setting out what we all want from a new owner. We released this statement on Tuesday evening and then on Wednesday published an open letter to the Glazers setting out what we think they should do next. We’ve also had discussions with the most senior management at United, urging them to make sure the Glazers act in the best interests of the Club during the sale process.This is just the start though. The sale process will almost certainly last months and during that time we need to keep up the pressure to make sure United get the right owner next and get commitments from those new owners as to their intentions for our club. In broad terms, the right owner will be an owner that respects the fans as a vital partner in the success of the club, and it will be an owner that invests in United, both in the playing side and in the stadium and other facilities. In order to define exactly what United fans want from the new owner, we will shortly be launching a consultation with supporters to understand your priorities on this most important question. We will also be holding an online meeting to debate exactly this question, so that as many members as possible can have their say and we can feed that into our proposals.
The second area we are looking at is the role of the government. During the Chelsea sale process, because of the sanctions against Roman Abramovich it created an evnironment where it was possible to demand a list of requirements the buyer had to fulfil. Chelsea was not just sold to the highest bidder. The successful bidder was required to make various commitments around investment and restrictions on taking dividends and management fees. Whilst the circumstances are different at United, we think here too there should be serious requirements in place so that the new owner has to commit to act in the best interests of the club and fans, rather than simply being the highest bidder. We’ll be exploring what government ought to do to make that happen in the coming weeks.Most MUST members have dreamed of the Glazers being replaced by new owners for a very long time. It now seems that dream may soon become a reality. But we need to make sure the new owner is genuinely an improvement – an owner who will invest in the Club and value and respect the fans. Trying to achieve that is the number one mission of MUST now.Thank you for your ongoing support.MUST – the Manchester United Supporters Trustwww.imust.org.uk
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