The anger surrounding Manchester United has travelled beyond Old Trafford, with Ineos’s ownership of OGC Nice placing the Ligue 1 club in the wider focus of a supporter campaign launched on Tuesday.
Key takeaways
- Manchester United supporters pushed the hashtags #GlazersAndIneosOut and #BoycottUnited across social media.
- The protest follows the club’s worst start to a season in 12 years, with five points from five league matches.
- United were also eliminated in the third round of the League Cup.
- Fans are urging a boycott of club merchandise, Ineos-owned businesses and major sponsors including Adidas and Coca-Cola.
- Ineos owns 25% of Manchester United and is also the owner of OGC Nice.
A boycott aimed at both ownership groups
The online movement is a response to poor results and long-standing frustration with the direction of Manchester United under the Glazer family. The campaign is intended to extend beyond social-media criticism, with supporters calling on others not to buy official products sold by the club.
The proposed boycott also targets companies controlled by Ineos, as well as United’s principal commercial partners, including Adidas and Coca-Cola. That brings a French dimension to a crisis centred in England, as Ineos is the owner of OGC Nice.
Manchester United’s difficult opening has intensified the mood. Five points from their first five league fixtures, coupled with an early League Cup exit, represent their weakest start for 12 years and have again raised the prospect of a wider sporting crisis.
Glazers and Ratcliffe under scrutiny
The Glazer family have controlled Manchester United for more than two decades, following Malcolm Glazer’s takeover. Malcolm Glazer died in 2014, but his children remain shareholders in the club.
Joel and Avram Glazer each hold around 15% of United, as do four other members of the family. Joel and Avram remain involved in sporting decisions, a role that has placed them at the centre of the latest criticism from supporters.
Ineos entered the club’s shareholding in 2023 with a 25% stake, bringing Sir Jim Ratcliffe into the ownership structure. Yet Ratcliffe has not won universal support either, and the new slogans make clear that the protest is directed at both the Glazers and Ineos.
