Fan protests hit Man Utd in the pocket as sponsors pull out of £200m deal

Fan protests which took place at Old Trafford in May have hit Man Utd in the pocket as sponsors pull out of a £200m deal.

The Red Devils have missed out on a nine figure kit deal, after potential new sponsors decided to go no further with talks amid ongoing backlash towards the Premier League clubs’s commercial partners.

While supporters have long held grievances at the club’s owners, the Glazers, the situation has been severely aggravated of late following their involvement in the proposed European Super League few weeks ago as many of you will recall.

Although that plan was swiftly put on hold after an intense adverse reaction, the fallout has seen more protests among the United faithful towards the ownership, with fans gaining access to the Old Trafford pitch last weekend, leading to the eventual postponement of the club’s clash with rivals Liverpool.

With supporters desperate to see a change at the top, some sections have begun to hit the owners where it hurts most, a recent online campaign seeing a call to boycott the club’s commercial partners, such as Cadbury, Adidas and TAG Heuer.

The ‘NOTAPENNYMORE’ movement looks well and truly in full swing, with The Observer reporting that Manchester-based company The Hut Group have pulled out of a £200m sponsorship deal with the club, over fears of being targetted by supporters.

The organisation were due to replace the current sponsors of United’s training kit, AON, with their own branding of a local firm, Myprotein, in a deal that was due to last at long as 10 years.

However, following the recent boycott campaign, The Hut Group have since pulled out of the deal, the report suggests that the local business were worried about the backlash and protests United fans would do if they proceeded with it.

That deal had been set to to begin on the 1st of July, and with AON’s existing deal set to expire on the 30th of June, Man Utd have little time to find a suitable replacement, the likelihood being that they will be unable negotiate a similarly lucrative contract with a new company.

Meanwhile, co-chairman Joel Glazer has responded to a letter from the Manchester United Supporters Trust in which he ‘acknowledged the need for change’, the American’s having been largely absent and silent during their 16 year spell at the helm.

It reads: Dear Fan Representatives,

Thank you for your letter dated April 30, sent in your capacity as representatives of Manchester United fans. I read the contents closely and your love and passion for the club came across very clearly.

I want to salute your service to the Fans’ Forum, which I know is a vital channel for consultation between the club and our fans. As I recently stated publicly, I am personally committed to ensuring that we strengthen this relationship in future.

Your heartfelt letter captured the unique spirit of Manchester United, forged through decades of triumph, adversity and tragedy, and still powerfully present in today’s exciting team under Ole and the vibrant fanbase which you represent.

I was personally humbled by parts of your letter, as you explained so clearly why our initial support for the European Super League left you feeling angry and let down. I would like to reiterate my sincere apology for the mistakes that were made.

In particular, I want to acknowledge the need for change, with deeper consultation with you as our main fan representative body across a range of important issues, including the competitions we play in. We also recognise the importance of fan and football interests being embedded in key decision-making processes at every level of the club, and we are open to constructive discussions on how to reinforce that principle.

We remain committed to working with the wider football community to make the game stronger and more sustainable over the long-term, and we will now refocus our efforts on doing this within the existing structures of UEFA and the Premier League.

In addition, I want to reassure you that my family and I care deeply about Manchester United and feel a profound sense of responsibility to protect and enhance its strength for the long-term, while respecting its values and traditions.

Our top priority is, and will always be, competing for the most important trophies, playing entertaining football with a team comprised of top-quality recruits and some of the world’s best homegrown talent. Under Ole, we feel we are absolutely on the right track.

Success on the field must be underpinned by solid foundations off it. We have supported sustained investment in the team over many years, and that will continue this summer.

We recognise that we will need to significantly increase investment in Old Trafford and our training complex to ensure that the club’s facilities remain among the best in Europe. As part of this, we will consult with fans on investments related to the stadium and the matchday experience.

Indeed, one of the clearest lessons of the past few weeks is the need for us to become better listeners. To this end, I can commit the club will engage across all of the issues raised in your letter.

To highlight some specific points, as one of the few European football clubs listed on the public markets, we believe in the principle of fans owning shares in the club. We have previously engaged with the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust on fan share ownership and we want to continue and accelerate those discussions, together with provisions to enhance associated fan consultation.

We recognise that the Government-initiated, fan-led review of football is a positive opportunity to explore new structures for fan engagement and influence. I can assure you that we will willingly and openly engage in the review, with the aim of putting fans at the heart of the game and ensuring their interests are advanced and protected.

These commitments are a starting point for further dialogue, including all the specific points you raised, rather than final proposals. We want to work together to come up with an ambitious package of measures which will transform our relationship with fans and strengthen the club for the long-term. In this spirit, we will reach out to members of the forum to schedule a meeting in which I shall participate as soon as possible after the final game of the season.

Thank you again for your work for the forum and your passion for the club. I look forward to meeting you and in the meantime let’s look forward to a successful end to the season.

With best regards,

Joel Glazer
Executive Co-Chairman and Director

– STATEMENT ENDS –

Twitter users reacted to reports the fan protests hit Man Utd in the pocket as sponsors pull out of a £200m deal…

pic.twitter.com/dyi52zvmnw

— POGBA66🥶🔰 (@ppogba66) May 8, 2021

Wow what a result!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Our efforts are working keep up the fight to drive #GlazersOut 🟢🟡💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/gJ36MC9bVD

— Mike (@mike70abc) May 8, 2021

@JonDavies689908: “The protests won’t make any difference”, “The Glazers don’t care”, “We can’t make a difference as fans.” Here is £200m of difference achieved in one week #NotAPennyMore #GlazersOut

@weastereds: It’s happening! Now for @TeamViewer hopefully

@IanCroombs1: Absolutely brilliant @manutd fans. We’ve playing our part in getting them out. Keep the boycott up and keep the protest going. We ARE being heard now! £200m lost by the Glazers! Lovely stuff. We keep it up until they sell #NotAPennyMore

@Ashad_007: Boycott Manchester United’s sponsors #NotAPennyMore #GlazersOut

@TFWriter: I hope you’re all seeing the power that we have. Collectively as a fanbase. We can’t be stopped. Next. #NotAPennyMore

@JustDave87: Its fucking working lads!!!

@footboxing: protests dont do anything…. stick your stupid hashtags up your arse…. #GlazersOut #NotAPennyMore

@CapsOffside: Love this. Fans might actually have some power in this?

@DiogoMindset: I am so fucking happy right now. #GlazersOut

@hettt10_: Just the beginning. #NotAPennyMore

@DavidSneyd: Maybe… Maybe the fans are protesting in the right way?

@RicTurner: That’s unfortunate 😂😂😂

@DannyP_72: To play is to fail #mufc

@dannyb1987: Just the start.

@mufc4thefans: Proof we can create change, I urge every United fan to keep the foot on the accelerator and force the Glazers Out

@weareBCSRF: That works out at about £100,000 for each protestor. An hourly rate of £20k. Great work everyone 👊

@UTD_William2: Yessss let’s not stop now guys #GlazersOut #NotAPennyMore

@AnthonyTWilson: Good, more to come you scruffs.

@Kev_Snowball: Slowly but surely, we’re winning. Keep it up.

@farzanahx_: Keep going. #NotAPennyMore 🔰

@alanckeegan: 👏👏👏👏👏 hit them where it hurts

@j_coatsworth: A reminder of the power that fans wield #MUFC

@Gezz_MUFC: We’re only just getting started. 🔰 #GlazersOut

@Millar_Colin: The voice of fans finally being heard and the power of supporter protest finally being felt.

@aliwell_north: Looks like our campaign is working 👎 be such a shame if it continued….

@SiWood86: You see what we can do, Thursday we push on

@BoughtonRed: Bloody hell. This is a language they’ll understand.

@RedVoicesMUFC:
Glazers sowing: “Haha fuck yeah!!! Yes!!”
Glazers reaping: “Well this fucking sucks. What the fuck.”

@Monrod85: This is great work by us but remember that this is a Manchester based company. Other companies will be harder to influence. We cannot get complacent and have to carry on our charge vs these leeches! #GlazersOut

@UTDjozi: We go again tomorrow #GlazersOut

@mattfuller5: Good, means we are doing something. #GlazersOut

@DazzaDavies: Incredible. Momentum is with us.

@JakeOHare1: Were fucking winning lads.

@ekiMLUHG: #NotAPennyMore Hope this helps

@BeckMichael92: FAO those who ask “what exactly will these protests achieve?”

@Mufcfaninspain: The people behind the ‘Not a Penny More’ group have been accused of being fake, plastic, negative, Jose lovers, never seen OT….. day in day out on Twitter for years. You have to have a winning mentality to put up with that shit and still carry the fight when others chose not to

@KAK_Tweets: Brilliant. Hitting them in their pockets is the only way to bring about change #GlazersOut #NotAPennyMore

More to come you bastards 💉💉💉 #GlazersOut https://t.co/yO16dMqtAO pic.twitter.com/TVLUB50fHP

— Tom #GlazersOut (@TomMUFC02) May 8, 2021