AGI – They are among the most powerful figures in English football and yet they almost never show up, they ignore the passion of the fans and show little knowledge of the traditions of their clubs: the American owners of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have been in the crosshairs of a supporter revolt for years, which culminated on 2 May infield invasion at Old Trafford of the fans of the Red Devils who imposed the postponement of the game against the Reds.
Diversified interests in sport
Stan Kroenke at Arsenal, John W. Henry at Liverpool and the Glazer family at Manchester United they are united by the fact that they own teams from other professional sports in their homeland and by the detachment with which they manage three of the most glorious clubs in the Premier League, which is the oldest league in the world. Yet they are no longer novices: the Glazers took control of United in 2005, Henry took the Reds in 2010 and Kroenke has owned the Gunners since 2007 together with Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov and since 2018 alone.
The criticisms
A former Manchester United manager, Peter Kenyon, doubts that “the Glazers know what football is”. The discontent against overseas properties precipitated after the three clubs joined the project Super League which horrified the hard core of the supporters. Although it evaporated within 48 hours, the plan to create a cup between 12 of Europe’s top clubs was seen as yet another nod to the American model decided without the slightest consultation with the base.
Understanding the Premier League
After the invasion of the field at Old Trafford, the Premier League issued a statement in which it was said aware of the “strong discontent” and the “right of the fans to know what is happening” and promised “a close dialogue with the fans and their representatives”. A sign that there is an awareness that American properties risk damaging the image of English football with an approach that many consider disrespectful to the fans.
The wrath of the Red Devils fans
The Glazer family, who also own the American football team Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has never entered the hearts of the fans. “In 16 years none of them have ever sought a dialogue with us,” denounced the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), which brings together over 200,000 supporters of the Red Devils. The concern of the fans also concerns the accounts of a club second only to Real Madrid in terms of revenues: when the Glazers took over United in 2005 they were in balance, now the debts exceed 500 million euros. The American family replies that they have prioritized success on the pitch and remembers the 200 million spent on player purchases in the last two seasons, more than anyone else in Europe, even 900 million since 2013. But the fans would like more attention to theirs. requests and a right to consult on the most important decisions, also through a popular shareholder structure on the German model in which external investors and commercial partners cannot reach 50% of the ownership.
The protest of Gunners and Reds fans
There have also been protests against Kroenke recently at Arsenal to ask him to sell his club shares. The founder of Spotify, Daniel Ek, great fan of the Gunners, has announced that he will make an offer to take over the club but the American tycoon, also owner of the Denver Nuggets in the NBA, the Los Angeles Rams in American football and the Colorado Rapids of the Major League Soccer, does not intend to sell. And Henry has no intention of handing over either, as well as being the owner of Liverpool’s legendary baseball team Red Sox di Boston. Certainly, however, in the coming months the pressure of the fans will increase and new and more striking protests by the inventors of football against the ‘intruders’ are not excluded.
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