Are you in a toxic relationship with Manchester United?

Do you love unconditionally, only to be treated like garbage? Does your beloved frequently make promises, break them and then refuse to take responsibility for what went wrong.? Well, you could be in a toxic relationship. Or, you could just be a Manchester United fan under the Glazer regime.

 

The American family's ownership of Manchester United recently hit its 20-year milestone. The two decades have been marked by financial exploitation, false promises and an ever-growing disconnect between the club and its fans. The worst part of this relationship is that it was not chosen by the fans. It was forced upon them by circumstances even as they protested loudly. For instance, the first time the Glazers visited the club (June 2005), as they 'robbed' the megastore at Old Trafford (they took merchandise and left without paying), hundreds of angry United fans were outside shouting greetings like “Die Glazer die”; a few even clashed with the police.

 

Even more traumatically for United fans, this union was endorsed by their father figure, Sir Alex Ferguson. The greatest football manager of all time once told United fans to “go and support Chelsea” if they did not like how United was being run. Ferguson also said “real fans” could see that Glazer ownership was not affecting the club at all. Indeed, Ferguson's success with a steadily deteriorating first team till his retirement in 2013 had masked the true horror of the new ownership. 

 

However, within a few days of Ferguson's “real fans” quote, Old Trafford, which was hosting football during the 2012 London Olympics, exposed the legendary manager's lie. Olympic football fans were drenched when the roof of “The Theatre of Dreams” sprung leaks amid heavy rains during a Spain vs Morocco match. Within seven years of the Glazers' takeover, the stadium had stopped being world-class. Incidentally, the leaks continue to this day and have at times been complemented by leaking toilets (news reports relating to this feature of the stadium were published in 2019 and 2023). Further adding to the aura of Old Trafford is a charming mice infestation reported in December 2024.

 

Ferguson was not the only club legend who backed the Glazers. Sir Bobby Charlton apologised to the Glazers for the hostility of the fans and was once caught on camera giving a young United fan a stern talking-to for his rudeness towards the new owners. Chief executive David Gill, who was initially opposed to the takeover, later smoothed the transition and was reportedly rewarded with a 100 per cent salary hike.

 

The club's financial troubles are well documented, especially after losing the Europa League final—and with it, the Champions League qualification that would have offered crucial monetary relief. What is possibly not as well known is how it came to this. In simple terms, the Glazers' takeover of United was primarily financed through loans secured against the club’s assets. This plunged a club that had been debt-free since 1930 into over £500 million of debt overnight. (Hence the “Die Glazer die” welcome). United has over the years wasted more than £700 million to pay the interest on this Glazer debt. The Glazers are also estimated to have extracted around £1 billion from United in annual dividends and share sales.

 

Had the footballing side been well-managed, all of this might have been forgivable for the joy of sustained on-field success. But, what is being witnessed is an infuriating mix of greed and incompetence. After Ferguson and Gill left in 2013, there were no football men in the top leadership of the club until minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe invested in the club in early 2024 and took over the football operations. This meant that men like Ed Woodward, who admittedly maximised the club's earnings, proceeded to waste more than £1 billion of the club's money. This is the key difference between United and other big spenders like Manchester City, Chelsea and Paris-Saint Germain. The owners did not pump any money in; they just kept taking. And, their football-illiterate minions spent the club's money irresponsibly. This and the debt situation means that the club now owe in excess of £1 billion.

 

The mechanism that the Glazers used to take over United, a leveraged buyout, is now banned. But, there was nobody to prevent it in 2005. According to a report by The Guardian,“The Labour government, deep in election mode, refused to scrutinise the takeover despite the urging of many of its own MPs.” And diligent reporting of the takeover was counterbalanced by journalists who were happy to stick to the Glazer line. Indeed, the only aspect of the club that continues to perform today is its PR machinery, which has largely been successful in spinning the global fan base into a state of dizzied stupor. 

 

Of course, many fans could not be fooled— right at the start, a particularly angry group broke away and formed FC United of Manchester, which now fights the good fight in the seventh tier of English football. But, back at the elite level, where the United brand still operates, the PR spin has been effective and brutally deceptive. One early example is the case of Wayne Rooney wanting to leave United for Chelsea. The real reason, as Rooney would explain later, was the club's lack of ambition. But, United spinmeisters were successful in labelling Rooney as a greedy mercenary. Of course, he became “an integral part of the plans” again once Ferguson convinced him to stay.

 

The club will need to rely on its PR machinery more than ever before now as the 2024-25 season has turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. But, it will become tougher as more and more fans are starting to call out the toxicity of the club's relationship with them. For instance, the Ratcliffe buy-in, once looked upon with hope, is now the butt of jokes. The billionaire Brit has saved money through measures like the termination of close to 500 employees, stopping free meals for the staff at the stadium, cancelling a staff Christmas party and not offering employees tickets to the Europa League final (though they may now be grateful for that). An attempted PR spin—a hastily put-out stadium plan—did not go down well, with many commenting that the design of the stadium looked like a circus tent and that it was apt for the clowns of United.

 

After failing to win the Europa League final, United have become a bottom-half team with no European football which needs to massively step up its game in the transfer market to stay relevant.

 

For the supporters, there is no imminent escape. Unlike in a toxic romantic relationship, you cannot walk out of the association with an entity like Manchester United. Because the vows you made were not to another person, but to yourself. If you even consider stopping your one-sided caring for this club, 1958 will spring to mind quickly followed by 1999. The Busby Babes and Fergie's Fledglings will flash before your eyes. There can be no escape, at least for the vast majority of United fans. And, there will be no reprieve from the Glazers. The only faint hope is of Ratcliffe and his team of football men turning things around on the pitch. The transfers have been encouraging so far. All of the buys in 2024-25 look capable of contributing in the future. The first signing for next season is reportedly Matheus Cunha, who could be highly impactful.

 

But, a massive rebuild is unlikely owing to the financial constraints. So, the best fans can hope for in the new season is some shrewd moves in the market and a team that can hopefully get into the top half of the Premier League. It is important to remember this so as to stay mentally healthy. Of course, they will lie. They will say that the club will challenge for Champions League qualification, and on failing they will blame the manager. After all, why not? This has been a tried and tested method at United since 2013. It is vital that the fans, the victims trapped in this relationship, stop buying into spin.

 

Ultimately, even if United turn things around (which is easier said than done—the 15 or so teams in the Premier League that are better than United are not going to stand still), the Glazer majority ownership is always going to treat the club like a cash cow. So, the only real solution is the most obvious one—get the Glazers out of United.

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