Beckham Sends an Anti-Glazer Message, and Manchester United Are NOT Happy

By: Laurie | March 13th, 2010

In case you missed it earlier this week, David Beckham sent quite the message in his return to Old Trafford. And he didn’t even have to open his mouth; all he had to do was put on a scarf in the yellow-and-green stripes that symbolize the anti-Glazer movement — a movement whose ultimate goal is a takeover of the club.

Later he seemed to want to imply no real message was intended. He just, y’know, liked the colors.

Uh-huh.

Manchester United management are not stupid; they fully recognize how powerful the movement is (current membership is about 130,000), and they have gone into damage-control mode. Some might even call is suppression. Or repression:

In response the club have already:

• Banned players from discussing the campaign in the media.

• Forbidden the in-house TV station, MUTV, from referring to the rebellion and edited questions about it from broadcasts of Ferguson’s press conferences.

• Ejected a supporter from the audience of an MUTV show after he refused to remove a green-and-gold scarf.

• Sacked a steward after 19 years’ service for attempting to return a confiscated anti-Glazer banner to its owners.

The club has reluctantly accepted the protests will continue for as long as the Glazers are in power. David Gill, the chief executive, predicted yesterday that would be “many more” than five years.

Unfortunately for management, they haven’t figured out a way to extend these restrictions to ex-players.

Score: Free speech and David Beckham 1 – 0 Manchester United management.

	Soccer Forums	Team/International Results

Category: World Football

Tags: David Beckham, Glazers, Malcom Glazer, Manchester United, Manchester United Supporters' Trust., MUST, World Football

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• ethandeanrichards |  March 13th, 2010 at 12:45 pm

  
  
  

  Go David Go

  Posted from United Kingdom

  

• Joel |  March 13th, 2010 at 12:56 pm

  
  
  

  Good for David. Except for the fact that he played it off later on when he was asked questions by reporters. David Beckham’s PR Machine 1 – United fans ?

  Posted from United States

  

• Hjorvar - Iceland |  March 13th, 2010 at 1:06 pm

  
  
  

  Go Glazers go Gil go, go go, go …………….

  Posted from Iceland

  

• Laurie |  March 13th, 2010 at 1:16 pm

  
  
  

  Joel, after a lot of thought, I think I disagree with you. By making an anti-management statement without admitting to any anti-management sentiment, he manages to draw attention to the movement itself without making this all about David Beckham.

  I think the guy is a lot smarter than most people give him credit for.

  Posted from United States

  

• Peter |  March 13th, 2010 at 1:35 pm

  
  
  

  Arab money is the way to go because the Yanks suck.

  Posted from United States

  

• Yas |  March 13th, 2010 at 1:40 pm

  
  
  

  People actually pay more attention to it now that he denied it. Even people who didn’t know about it are talking about it now.

  Posted from United States

  

• Wendy |  March 13th, 2010 at 1:54 pm

  
  
  

  Laurie–my thoughts exactly

  Posted from Germany

  

• Johnny |  March 13th, 2010 at 9:56 pm

  
  
  

  I don’t understand, why the hate?

  Posted from United States

  

• elle |  March 14th, 2010 at 12:39 am

  
  
  

  Johnny, the short version? the Glazers buying the club plunged the club into massive debt when it had before been completely debt free.

  Posted from United States

  

• Dustin |  March 14th, 2010 at 12:44 am

  
  
  

  Private organizations are allowed to act like Tyrannies. It’s Feudalism of the 21st Century people.

  Posted from United States

  

• LeRoy |  March 14th, 2010 at 10:17 am

  
  
  

  Another cheap publicity stunt by Beckham Inc. !!

  Posted from Netherlands

  

• Laurie |  March 14th, 2010 at 11:37 am

  
  
  

  Johnny, the top link in the post goes to a WSJ(!!) article with a good summary of the reasons for the discontent. But yeah, in a nutshell, what Elle said.

  Posted from United States

  

• Matt |  March 15th, 2010 at 6:54 am

  
  
  

  Beckham offed by the Glazers!!! Conspiracy and intrigue!! There has to be a good movie or book that can be made about this.

  “Star soccer player makes show of solidarity against evil, sinister owners by allying himself with the proletariat revolution of the green and gold. Just days later the player falls mysteriously injured and is out of contention for the World Cup. Was there a shooter on the grassy knoll? What did David Beckham really know, now that the Glazers have silenced him forever.”

  I swear someone owes me money for this idea, plus, I’m sure David would be willing to play himself in the motion picture: “The Beckham Code.”

  Posted from United States

  

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