Manchester United fans turned their anger on Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS in a vociferous protest at Old Trafford on Sunday, railing against soaring ticket prices, seat relocations, and what many view as the club’s increasing commercial detachment from its loyal support base.
Before and during the 2-0 defeat to West Ham, banners, chants and placards made clear the mood among sections of the United faithful: frustration, betrayal, and disillusionment. The decision to hike season ticket prices for a third successive year, coupled with the controversial move to convert long-standing fan areas into high-end VIP hospitality zones, has left supporters fuming.
Around 500 fans seated behind the dugouts—some of whom have held those seats for decades—will be moved to accommodate the new corporate section. For many, it’s a bitter symbol of the club’s direction under Ratcliffe and INEOS, who now control football operations following Sir Jim’s minority stake acquisition earlier this year.
Among the most cutting placards was one reading: ‘Evicted after 40 years by order of Sir Jim come-lately’, while another simply declared: ‘Seats + souls for sale’. The Stretford End joined in with familiar chants of ‘We want Glazers out’, pointing to the continued dissatisfaction with the club’s American majority owners, while others mocked the recent £66 ticket price minimum with signs reading ‘£66 – your debt, not ours’.
In what many see as a cash grab, United not only upped season ticket prices by five per cent for next term—now ranging between £608 and £1,121—but also abolished concessionary pricing for matchday tickets and introduced a £10 penalty for reselling tickets too close to matchday. Meanwhile, parking fees have jumped by 15 per cent, and non-season ticket holders are now being charged more for high-profile fixtures under a new match categorisation system.
The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) expressed “deep disappointment” over the club’s refusal to freeze prices, especially in a season that has seen the team struggle on the pitch and the fanbase grow increasingly fractured.
“The club talks about loyalty and tradition,” said one fan outside the ground, “but they’re pricing out the very people who have stood by this team through thick and thin. It’s money over memories.”
United chief executive Omar Berrada defended the increases, citing “rising operating costs” and the need for financial sustainability. “After 11 years of frozen prices, we’ve made modest increases over the last three seasons,” he said. “We listened to the Fans’ Advisory Board, but the reality is the club faces ongoing financial challenges.”
But those explanations have done little to placate disillusioned fans. Protest groups such as The 1958 and The 1968 have ramped up demonstrations in recent months, including a sit-in after the draw with Manchester City and mass gatherings outside the ground under the banner #StopExploitingLoyalty.
As tensions mount and performances on the pitch continue to falter, the pressure on United’s new leadership grows—not just to improve results, but to restore a sense of connection with a fanbase that increasingly feels left behind.
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