1 week Ago By Robin Mumford
An 81-year-old Manchester United fan is being forced to give up his seat at Old Trafford for corporate hospitality. It's a story that has been forged in the flames of recent protests against the club's mismanagement, and one that has become a symbol of the widening gulf between the club's storied traditions and the modern, profit-driven reality alienating much of the fanbase. Michael Carney, who’s had the same seat since 1980, held up a poignant sign during Sunday’s Manchester derby: "I was sat here before you were born" and "74 years of loyal support – for what?" His quiet protest, aimed at the directors’ box, captured the sentiment of many who feel pushed aside in favour of commercial interests.
At full-time, hundreds of United fans stayed behind in protest - voicing their anger over next season’s ticket price hikes, the scrapping of concession rates, and the ongoing costs of servicing the club’s £1 billion debt. Organised by the 1958 fan group, the “sit-in” was, for many, an emotional stand against a future where lifelong supporters fear they may no longer be able to see their team play live, even if they can afford it. From West Ham and Manchester United's odious ownerships to Brighton and Manchester City's empires, every Premier League owner has been ranked.
Long-Time Man United Fans Face Season Ticket Axe At the bottom of his Man United's season ticket renewal letter, a section read: "We have identified a small number of general admission tickets directly adjacent to the home and away dugouts that will be converted to hospitality seats this summer. "This reflects the high value of this unique location and will help to raise hospitality revenue to keep general admission Season Ticket prices lower. Your current seat is included within this block, and we will therefore need to find you an alternative seat for next season.
" Speaking about the enforced move, Carney told BBC Sport : "It is very sad after all these years. They could put you anywhere, and I don't think you will be able to argue much. If you don't like it, clear off.
" "They are brilliant seats," he added. "Mine is smack on the halfway line, midway between the dug-outs and the directors' box. One way of looking at it is that we have been fortunate to be sitting there for all those years - but you get used to it.
It has been happening on an individual basis for some time now. Before every game, you get an email saying if you can't make the game, let them know and they will give you your money back. "If you have not been, the lads around will ask whoever is in the seat how much they paid for it.
Very often it would be £250-£300. That is a good way of seeing what they want to do now, taking everyone out en-bloc." On holding his sign aloft, he continued (see below) : "I was going to do it in the second half because I didn't want to risk being sent out [of the stadium by stewards] in the first.
"I was waiting for an injury, but it got to 60 minutes and nothing had happened. I just got up and put my poster up. People turned around to face the directors' box.
Everyone was applauding. It achieved what I wanted and got a lot attention." Carney reeled off the players he had seen in the flesh: the Busby Babes, the Holy Trinity of George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law, the 1980s team of Bryan Robson, the end of the 26-year wait for a league title in 1993, two Doubles, the 1999 Treble and Cristiano Ronaldo's Champions League -winning side.
He has also kept newspapers from the day of the Munich air disaster, of Best's phenomenal performance against Benfica in Lisbon in 1966 and the famous 3-3 with Real Madrid two years later on the way to winning the European Cup for the first time. But now, he - and many other supporters - feel the club is turning its back on them, even though they could never have imagined doing the same, despite the underwhelming performances in the post-Ferguson era that see them slipping dangerously towards their worst-ever season..
