While Manchester United’s players prepare for their final Premier League match of the season, another major event is quietly brewing off the pitch.
Protest group The 1958 has announced plans to hold a march before the game against Aston Villa—marking a powerful statement aimed directly at the club’s controversial owners, the Glazer family.
This upcoming protest isn’t just any match-day demonstration.
It’s timed to hit hard, landing almost exactly 20 years after the Glazers’ highly criticized leveraged buyout of the club in May 2005.
For many fans, it was the moment the soul of Manchester United began to fade.
Remembering Two Decades of Discontent
In their official statement, The 1958 didn’t hold back.
Titled “A Legacy of Ruin,” the message painted a grim picture of what the Glazer ownership has meant for Manchester United.
The group called May 2005 “one of the darkest days” in the club’s history, blaming the Glazers for gutting the heart of the club and turning it into a corporate cash cow.
Even Sir Alex Ferguson, who brought trophies galore during the early years of the Glazers’ reign, was described as a temporary shield masking deeper damage.
According to the group, once Ferguson retired, the underlying issues—years of financial mismanagement and underinvestment—became impossible to ignore.
Stadium Neglected, Fans Divided, Debt Mounting
From mounting debt to the deteriorating condition of Old Trafford, fans argue that the Glazers’ rule has been all about taking rather than giving.
The statement pointed out that the club is still drowning in over a billion pounds of debt—yet the Glazer family continues to cash in through dividends, year after year, win or lose.
Old Trafford, once a global icon of footballing excellence, is now viewed by many supporters as a crumbling shell of what it once was.
Meanwhile, lifelong fans feel priced out and emotionally pushed away, watching the club’s community values slowly erode.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Arrival Comes with a Cost
Even the recent involvement of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, which some fans hoped would bring positive change, hasn’t softened the mood.
According to The 1958, Ratcliffe’s investment has come at the cost of hundreds of jobs—adding more hurt to an already suffering supporter base.
To them, this isn’t just about poor management—it’s about a footballing community that has been betrayed and exploited for two straight decades.
One More March, One Clear Message
The protest planned for the Aston Villa game won’t be the first of its kind this season.
Earlier in the campaign, thousands marched ahead of the Arsenal game at Old Trafford. But this one carries special weight.
It’s a statement of defiance, frustration, and—above all—enduring loyalty.
“We march as one fanbase,” their statement said, “to make it clear: 20 years on, the fire still burns Red—with fury and defiance.”
Their final message left no doubt about their stance: “We want the Glazers out of our club.
They were never welcome.
They are not welcome now.
They will never be welcome.”
What’s Next?
As Manchester United prepare to close another season on the pitch, the fanbase continues to fight its own battle in the stands and streets.
Whether this protest will bring real change remains to be seen—but one thing is crystal clear: the supporters are not done speaking out.