Another weekend, another protest at Manchester United. If the owners really want to transform the mood around Old Trafford they might start with recognising the primacy of supporters, not as economic units to be mined, but as the bedrock upon which all else rests.
The summary ousting of season-ticket holders from long-held seats in a privileged position near the pitch is bang on message for an ownership that repeatedly overlooks the centrality of the loyal fan in favour of profit.
The 500 seats in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, of all places, are situated near the dugouts offering proximity to the bench as well as an excellent view of the action.
The owners of season tickets long associated with those seats learned six days before the 1-0 defeat to Wolves that going forward, they would be sitting somewhere else yet to be determined.
United fans are getting nothing back from the club (Photo: Reuters)Their old seats would be sold as “premium hospitality”, demonstrating where the club’s priorities lie and how little they regard the concerns and needs of supporters.
The insensitivity of the move triggered the unrest of fans who duly paraded their dismay on banners in full view of Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the directors’ box and the players as they made their way to the pitch.
It is clear that United’s new hierarchy believe the solution to fan unrest can be found on the pitch, where winning football is sure to drown out the fury.
Yet this season has shown the willingness of fans to unite against the exploitation of their love of the shirt. In number lies power.
The linked protests at Anfield, the Etihad, Stamford Bridge and beyond are a warning to owners that success does not buy obedience.
City fans planned their latest protest against ticketing issues before the Aston Villa game on Tuesday. United fans staged a sit-in after the recent Manchester derby too.
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Though City have frozen ticket prices for next season they have imposed a higher tariff on attendance by raising to 10 the number of mandatory home matches fans must attend and imposing restrictions on who is eligible to use them in their stead.
United’s stipulation for minimum use of season tickets has risen from 15 to 16 games in order to retain ownership. They have, however, frozen prices for under-16s. Whilst that is a win for the fans it does not go nearly far enough.
Ineos’ ownership is predicated on football as business, but this fails to recognise the unique nature of a market based not on reason but passion and emotion.
The relationship with fans is not transactional but romantic. Once smitten fans surrender all reason, entering into a kind of contract that commits them for life. The clubs know this very well, and take advantage through the tills in club shops up and down the land selling any old tat.
Of course clubs are locked into a competitive spiral that drives up expenditure and revenues to meet it. Fans accept there has to be a trade-off. It is a question of balance. It is incumbent on clubs to show fans some respect.
The way to do this is through subsidy, a discounted price policy that acknowledges the commitment that ordinary supporters make to attend games.
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United are among the richest clubs on earth and in a better position than most to set the moral tone. What a win it would be for Ratcliffe to rise above the economic imperative and do the right thing. The fans are the engine driving all clubs. Without them United are a virtual concept without a vision to sell.
Fan groups are beginning to recognise this and organise accordingly. The French Revolution was an act of spontaneity triggered by centuries old abuse by a rich elite of the rank and file that could no longer be contained.
We are not yet at the barricades but should fan discontent harden into genuine anger and walkouts during games replace sit-ins after them, those in the posh seats might begin to understand better where the true value lies.
It rests in the devotion of fans who turn up no matter what in the hope that tomorrow will be better.
After a record 15th Premier League defeat United fans are steeped in that sentiment. The answer is not to downgrade their seats, but to reward them with tickets at a fair price.
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