Man Utd plans were planning to protest before facing Arsenal on Sunday, but the demonstration has been postponed.
Fans pictured during a protest last season.(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Manchester United fans are split on the club's ownership ahead of the new Premier League season.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a minority stake at Old Trafford in February 2024. The British billionaire gained control of football operations and has overseen several controversial decisions.
The decision to raise matchday ticket prices to £66 per game in the Premier League last season, with no concessions for children or pensioners, triggered intense backlash from fans.
United suffered their worst campaign for 51 years, finishing 15th in the Premier League, and a handful of protests were organised against the ownership throughout the season.
United supporter group The 1958 announced a fresh protest before facing Arsenal on Sunday, but they have decided to postpone the protest after gauging fan opinion on the issue.
Ruben Amorim has been backed with the arrivals of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Diego Leon. The mood has improved after an encouraging pre-season, which has contributed to the split in opinion.
Betfair’s annual Nation Predicts survey of more than 2,000 football fans, conducted by YouGov Sport, touched on ownership and 59 per cent of United fans said they were not happy.
Betfair launched a survey and here are the results
The 1958 protest group conducted their own research (with 26,000 responses) and further highlighted how fans are undecided about whether to give Ineos more time to prove themselves.
The research from The 1958 protest group.
When The 1958 announced the protest before the opening day of the season would be postponed, they said: "After careful reflection, and in light of the survey results. We have made the decision to postpone the planned protest for the Arsenal home game on Saturday, August 17th.
"For us, it has always been, and will always be, about the fans. About how we’re treated by the club and its owners. About protecting the future of Manchester United, affordable football for all (especially youth), safeguarding fan culture, and ensuring the next generation of supporters inherit a club run with responsibility and respect.
"These long-term goals matter more to us than signings, glittery training ground refurbs or anything else. That’s where we’ve always stood and we make no apologies for it.
"With a fanbase as diverse and passionate as ours, finding the right balance isn’t always easy. We’ve had to consider momentum, timing, fan appetite, broader consequences of protest activity whilst assessing how current and future decisions may impact us as fans.
"Given the current sentiment within the fanbase and particularly in light of these recent survey results, it’s clear there is no unified view on the direction of the club under Ratcliffe.
"That split is real, and we believe it would be irresponsible to risk creating a situation that could result in any “red on red” conflict inside or outside the stadium."
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