Sir Alex Ferguson has been subjected to abuse at Elland Road, with a clip from Leeds United’s meeting with Manchester United prompting criticism from football supporters, including Leeds fans.
The video shared by TheEuropeanLad shows the former United manager making his way down steps as somebody calls out to him. The Daily Mail identifies the person shouting as a Leeds supporter and reports that Ferguson, 84, was attending Sunday’s 1–1 draw.
His name is called repeatedly before an insult is shouted. The exchange has since sparked an argument over the line between rivalry and abuse, rather than anything that happened on the pitch.
Watch the Sir Alex Ferguson video
Watch the footage shared by TheEuropeanLad — contains strong language
The short clip captures the heckling but does not tell us how Ferguson felt about it. The Daily Mail reports that Leeds declined to comment when approached about the incident.
Leeds supporters among those condemning the abuse
Andrew Stacey, who described himself as a Leeds fan, said the behaviour was “completely out of order and oversteps the mark”. He praised Ferguson’s record despite the rivalry between the clubs.
Phil M Taylor also identified himself as a Leeds supporter and said Ferguson deserved respect. His reply made clear that supporting Leeds did not mean approving of what was shouted.
Nicky Cadogan condemned the behaviour while suggesting Ferguson might take satisfaction from still provoking a reaction. Another reply, from @LFC6PLUS19, argued that rivalry should not mean disrespecting a figure they regarded as a legend of the game.
There were dissenting views too. @90plusstoppage dismissed the exchange as “obviously banter”. These are individual reactions to the clip, rather than a measure of what either fanbase as a whole thinks.
Leeds 1–1 Manchester United: the match behind the clip
Bryan Mbeumo gave United the lead in the 35th minute on Sunday 18 October, before Dominic Calvert-Lewin equalised in the 51st minute at Elland Road.
Leeds had 61% of possession and put five attempts on target to United’s three. United nevertheless edged the overall shot count, 13–12. Those figures show why possession alone did not tell the whole story of a closely contested scoreline.
| Statistic | Leeds | Man Utd |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 1 | 1 |
| Possession | 61% | 39% |
| Total shots | 12 | 13 |
| Shots on target | 5 | 3 |
| Corners | 2 | 3 |
Manchester United face Como later today
United now turn to the Champions League, with an away game against Como scheduled for 5:45pm UK time today, Wednesday 21 October. The visit to Como is United’s next league-phase fixture.
For Michael Carrick’s side, the next chance to turn a draw into a win comes in Italy. For the supporters discussing the Ferguson clip, the debate is about how a longstanding rivalry is expressed away from the pitch.
Sources
- TheEuropeanLad — incident video
- Daily Mail — incident report and Leeds response
- Leeds United — official match centre and statistics
- Leeds United — official match report
- UEFA — Champions League fixture schedule
- Andrew Stacey — fan reaction
- Phil M Taylor — fan reaction
- Nicky Cadogan — fan reaction
- LFC20+6 — fan reaction
- 90 Plus Stoppage — fan reaction
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