Roy Keane has warned the Glazers that Sunday’s protests are just ‘the start’ and that Manchester United fans will not rest until they are driven out of the club after breaking into Old Trafford and causing their game with Liverpool to be postponed.
Thousands of furious United supporters showed their disdain for their club’s owners with wild scenes at the weekend during a demonstration at Old Trafford, which subsequently saw Sunday’s match called off.
Bottles and flares were thrown in what was an emotionally-charged protest, with some fans breaking into the ground and storming the pitch.
Roy Keane has insisted Manchester United fans will keep protesting until the Glazers sell up
Thousands of United supporters held a demonstration against their owners on Sunday
Some fans broke into the ground and caused the match with Liverpool to be postponed
Avram and Joel Glazer have never been popular with fans, but they are now going to new extremes in a bid to force them to sell the club after being enraged by their involvement in the botched plans for a European Super League.
United legend Keane admitted he could not criticise fans for protesting and said the frustration with the Glazers had been boiling up to this point for some time.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Keane said: ‘They’re doing it because they love the club and it’s not what has happened over the last few weeks with the Super League.
United supporters are trying to drive Joel Glazer (right) and Avram Glazer (left) out of the club
Fans want the Glazers out after their involvement in the botched European Super League plans
‘I think it’s been building for a number of years now, that frustration, and they’ve come to the end and thought “enough is enough”.
‘It’s been building up over the last few years – disappointment in communication, stuff going on in the backroom, tickets, whatever it might be.
‘The leadership of the club has not been good enough, when they look at the owners and feel it’s just about making money. The statement today is huge for the game to be called off.
‘Sometimes you have to put a marker down for people to take notice and this will go all over the world now and people will have to sit up and take note.
‘Hopefully the owners of Man United will say “these fans are deadly serious” and there’s more to come. This is just the start of it for United fans, mark my words.
‘This is just the start for United fans and their plan is for the United owners to give in and sell the club.’
Although Keane’s fellow pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville defended the grounds upon which the protests had started, United fans were criticised by Graeme Souness for throwing projectiles.
Souness said: ‘Let’s be honest, someone threw a flare up to this stage today. If it hit one of us, we would be in the hospital and scarred.
‘Someone threw a bottle of beer up here. If that hits you the wrong place, you could have been killed!
Ex-United man Keane said the fans made a statement by getting the Liverpool game called off
‘A kid was killed in Cardiff by a flare. I am not criticising Man United supporters en masse, but you cannot underplay that.
‘That (flare) could have marked someone for life. We’re sitting here saying it’s right they’re demonstrating but a village idiot could have killed someone here today.’
Neville, who admitted he hoped fans would ‘move towards something more calm,’ having been warned by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the build-up to the match to keep the protests peaceful, responded: ‘Emotions are running really high. Football in this country now is lawless, the big six are bullying the rest of English football. It needs to stop.
‘I accept there are fans today who may have gone over the top, but the majority have peacefully protested. Protests have to be peaceful and law-abiding. There will always be a potential flashpoint, that will always happen.
Greame Souness criticised the United fans who threw flares and bottles during the protest
Supporters clashed with the police outside of the ground as emotions ran high on Sunday
‘The rivalry between these clubs is huge, we know how intense it is, but there is a line. What happened two weeks ago (with the European Super League) has ignited the fanbase, it’s brought them back to life.
‘It’s extremely powerful. Fans have stood up today for what they think is right. We don’t want to hear about disturbances today but fans have had enough. They’ve had enough.
‘The media can make a story today about the damage and stuff but the story today is that the fans have set the spark. Will they stop another game next time? I hope they’ll move towards something more measured, calm and pointed.’