SportsWe Are Sorry...Man U Co-Chairman Pens Letter Of Apology To Fans

We Are Sorry…Man U Co-Chairman Pens Letter Of Apology To Fans

BEVERLY HILLS, April 21, (THEWILL) – The impact of the collapse of the plan to form a breakaway League of Europe’s biggest clubs continues to reverberate across Europe’s biggest football capitals as the lessons from the massive failure begin to sink in.

It is this latter fact that led Manchester United’s club’s Co-Chairman, Joel Glazer, to pen an open letter to the supporters of the Red Devils about the project which he himself was a strong part of launching, as one of the founding members.

Proposed by a set of 12 of the most powerful clubs in Europe attempting to break away from UEFA competition in favour of a closed-door continental league, the Super League was revealed late on Sunday night, only for a massive worldwide backlash to force almost all of its clubs to pull out within 48 hours of the announcement.

By Tuesday night, United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward had announced his decision to step down, while Glazer issued his statement with the covert attempt to win over supporters of the club, who had clearly become disillusioned by the club’s involvement as one of the founding members of the new League.

How much success he will have with this attempt remains to be seen but, many fans, increasingly critical of the handling and adminstration of the affairs of the club on the football side, have insistently railed against the Glazers, whom they hold responsible for the beating the club’s reputation has taken since 2015 when they took over at Old Trafford.

The most ardent fans will look suspiciously at this attempt as well, being that it is the first time a member of the Glazer family has communicated directly with United fans and supporters.

The letter began in a conciliatory tone: “You made very clear your opposition to the European Super League, and we have listened. We got it wrong, and we want to show that we can put things right.

“Although the wounds are raw and I understand that it will take time for the scars to heal, I am personally committed to rebuilding trust with our fans and learning from the message you delivered with such conviction.

“We continue to believe that European football needs to become more sustainable throughout the pyramid for the long-term. However, we fully accept that the Super League was not the right way to go about it.”

He showed honest contrition by writing: “In seeking to create a more stable foundation for the game, we failed to show enough respect for its deep-rooted traditions – promotion, relegation, the pyramid – and for that we are sorry.

“This is the world’s greatest football club and we apologise unreservedly for the unrest caused during these past few days.

“It is important for us to put that right.”

The part that COVID-19 played in convincing the big clubs to think “outside the box” before erroneously concluding that a Super League was the way to go was alluded to: “The pandemic has thrown up so many unique challenges and we are proud of the way Manchester United and its fans from Manchester and around the world have reacted to the enormous pressures during this period.

“We also realise that we need to better communicate with you, our fans, because you will always be at the heart of the club.”

Glazer indicated that he knew it was going to be hard work getting back to unity: “In the background, you can be sure that we will be taking the necessary steps to rebuild relationships with other stakeholders across the game, with a view to working together on solutions to the long-term challenges facing the football pyramid.

“Right now, our priority is to continue to support all of our teams as they push for the strongest possible finish to the season.”

The co-chairman concluded with: “In closing, I would like to recognise that it is your support which makes this club so great, and we thank you for that.

“Over the past few days, we have all witnessed the great passion which football generates, and the deep loyalty our fans have for this great club.”

It is United’s share of communication from owners to fan bases of the different clubs, who were understandably riled with their clubs for having the gumption to take such drastically unilateral decisions about football clubs that were mostly built by, generously supported by and ultimately belong to fans without asking for their input.

The fans made their voices heard and most of the clubs listened and heard. As a result, the plans for a Super League imploded. It may take a while for the debris to clear and normalcy to resume but the clubs and the fans are going to have to work together for the progress of the game going forward.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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