Manchester United followers’ protest reveals how far the issues run deep at Old Trafford
United fans held a protest against the club’s treatment of season ticket holders before the Manchester derby with 500 fans gathering outside to protest
Steven Railston
11:43, 14 Sep 2026
The single banner on show in the Stretford End on Sunday(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United fans protested before the derby match with City. Here our sister paper the Manchester Evening News looks and what happened and what it means…
Manchester United fans hung a single banner above the tunnel for the visit of Manchester City, leaving the flags that usually create a spectacle at home in protest of the treatment of season ticket holders.
Instead, “THE WAY YOU TREAT US IS A DISGRACE,” was the sole banner in the Stretford End before the Manchester derby.
United fan group The 1958 organised a protest before the derby, declaring that a “line had been crossed” by the club following their ticket touting investigation, which resulted in 685 fans being stripped of their season tickets, and 464 supporters either being sanctioned or warned.
The police initially estimated that approximately 500 fans had gathered at the Bishop Blaize pub for the demonstration, but more supporters joined as the protest moved down Sir Matt Busby Way towards the ground.
The protest before the game(Image: Gary Roberts Photography/Shutterstock)
The sad thing is that United fans are no strangers to protesting against the club’s ownership. The catalogue of protest chants was gradually worked through as the protest prepared to start, with anti-Glazer chants aired alongside chants directed at Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe was just as much a target as the Glazer family during the protest. The 73-year-old dined out on the fact that he was born in Failsworth when he acquired a minority stake two years ago, but his regime has shown that he’s just as out of touch as the absent owners in Tampa, Florida.
United fans unfurled a ‘JIM AIN’T THE ONE’ banner before the protest moved from its starting point. Later, a banner was unfurled that read: “You take it all from fans and banning us for nothing. Premium prices all for greed.”
The Amazon logo was printed on the latter banner. The American company has stumped up a record fee to film a fly-on-the-wall documentary at United, and it will be fascinating to see whether unrest among supporters features in the series. The suspicion is that it will be airbrushed from the documentary.
The anger amongst supporters was palpable throughout the protest. The demonstration was peaceful, but supporters were clearly furious.
“I hope Jim Ratcliffe’s watching this now, because my message to that man is sell this football club,” Steve Crompton, spokesperson for The 1958 told the Manchester Evening News.
Some of the banners on display(Image: Gary Roberts/SOPA Images/Shutterstock)
“You’ve done nothing good for this football club. You never will. It’s a vanity project. It’s nothing to do with what’s important to match-going fans. You prove that by shafting everybody for the last God knows how many months. You have total disregard for match-going fans.”
Crompton added: “You keep poking the bear, and the bear’s going to bite back, and this is what’s happening right now. And this is important for the Premier League, because this is happening not just at Old Trafford.
“I care about Man United fans and what’s good for us. And what’s happening is an absolute utter disgrace. But this is happening all over the Premier League. We’ve had massive support from City fans, from Liverpool fans.”
Pratically every decision Ratcliffe has made has alienated United’s matchgoing support, including plans for a new stadium. “You can shove your new ground up your a***,” was aired on a few occasions.
How the banner looked on Sunday(Image: Getty Images)
Michael Carrick was asked about the protests during his post-match press conference and, predictably, he chose his words carefully. “Yeah, listen, the details in terms of all what goes behind it, you know, I’m not always in line to get to the bottom of it,” he said.
“But I definitely appreciate the supporters. I think if they do feel that in certain ways, then, of course, we want to try everything to make them happy. That’s part of performances on the pitch and off the pitch.
“That’s obvious. They’re a huge part of this football club. They’re everything for this football club. So I’m feeling for them today, you know, on the back of losing the game today. So I never take them for granted. I speak about that quite a lot, and it means a lot to me, so I just feel for them today.”
The United fans who protested will feel their demonstration was vindicated by the Manchester derby defeat. Patrick Dorgu, starting in the absence of Luke Shaw, was at fault in the build-up to Erling Haaland’s goal.
Shaw’s injury record is well documented, but United still failed to sign a left-back as cover in the summer transfer window. Would City fail to sign cover for an injury-prone player? No, they would spend whatever was required to ensure that their squad was not left short.
The decline on the pitch at Old Trafford has been compounded by the attack on fan culture. The increase in ticket prices. The crackdown on season ticket holders.
United fans are tired of protesting against the club’s ownership, but there is no sign of change coming any time soon.
