Manchester United supporters’ groups will challenge the club over its controversial clampdown on ticket touting at a Fans’ Forum meeting on Thursday night as criticism continues to grow.
United have come under fire over the purge, with a number of groups including The ’58, Manchester United Supporters’ Trust and The Red Army issuing a joint statement last week accusing the club of making fans feel as though they are being ‘treated as suspects’.
By bringing in an external agency using automated monitoring to find any trace of touting, United have been criticised for casting the net too wide and targeting innocent fans.
Thousands of supporters – including some as young as six-years-old – have received notification that their accounts have been suspended due to suspicious activity and their season tickets could be revoked unless they provide a satisfactory explanation.
The quarterly meeting of the Fans’ Forum on Thursday will give fan representatives an opportunity to confront United directly over the crackdown and urge the club to take a more lenient approach.
Protests have regularly been staged by Manchester United supporters clubs in recent years, with this photo having been taken last year on the 20th anniversary of the Glazer takeover
It comes as the Manchester United Muslims Supporters’ Club backed the stance taken by other groups on Wednesday.
‘Manchester United has always been more than a football club,’ read a statement from the MUMSC. ‘It was built by generations of supporters, dedicated staff, the people of Manchester, and communities around the world, who have given their unwavering loyalty to this club through every high and every low. Today, many supporters feel that bond is being broken.
‘The recent treatment of season-ticket holders has only deepened those concerns. Long-standing supporters, some with decades of loyalty behind them, have spoken publicly about being suspended or losing their season tickets.
‘After allegations of breaking club rules, while questioning whether they were provided with the evidence against them, or afforded a fair and transparent process, every supporter deserves fairness, transparency, and the opportunity to be heard.
‘Trust is built through openness, not silence. These issues do not exist in isolation; they form part of a wider feeling that Manchester United is becoming increasingly disconnected from the people who built the club.
‘We all want Manchester United to succeed again, but success should never come at the expense of the values that made this club great. The supporters, the staff, and the communities who built Man United deserve better.
‘Enough is enough. It’s time to put the people of Manchester United back at the heart of Manchester United.’
