Man United: Ed Woodward apologises to fans over European Super League fiasco

Ed Woodward finally apologises to Man United fans over the European Super League fiasco as he reassures them that plans for a breakaway competition will never be revived because ‘we have learned our lesson’

  • Man United chief Ed Woodward has said sorry to fans over the breakaway league
  • Controversial European Super League collapsed last week after huge backlash
  • Woodward, who is standing down in wake of controversy, apologised on Friday 

Manchester United chief Ed Woodward has said sorry to fans over the European Super League debacle and reassured them that plans for a breakaway competition will never be revived.

United chairman Joel Glazer apologised to supporters following the ESL’s collapse last week, and Woodward – who is standing down in the wake of the controversy – did the same at an emergency fans’ forum on Friday morning. 

It comes ahead of planned protests at Old Trafford before Sunday’s match against Liverpool.

Man United chief Ed Woodward has said sorry to fans over the European Super League debacle

Man United chief Ed Woodward has said sorry to fans over the European Super League debacle

Manchester United chief Joel Glazer (right) apologised to fans for the Super League last week

Manchester United chief Joel Glazer (right) apologised to fans for the Super League last week

Woodward told the fans’ representatives: ‘Clearly, it was important to convene the forum in short order to provide an opportunity for you to express your opinions and discuss recent events.

‘It’s clear we did not do enough of that before the Super League decision. Today is our first step towards putting that right.

‘You will all have read Joel’s open letter to fans last week apologising for the Super League decision and I would like to add my personal apology to this forum.

‘I know that you will feel angry and let down by the lack of consultation and by the way the proposal failed to recognise the vital principle of open competition. Proper discussion would have helped us avoid the mistake we made.

‘While there would have been a substantial increase in solidarity payments from the leading clubs to the rest of the pyramid across Europe, we fully accept that there were fundamental elements which were badly misjudged.

‘As Joel said last week, we failed to give enough weight to the essential principles and traditions of sporting merit which are so vital to football not just in domestic competition but in European competition since the mid-1950s.

United fans during a fan protest against the club owners outside of Old Trafford last weekend

United fans during a fan protest against the club owners outside of Old Trafford last weekend

‘We want to restate our commitment to those traditions. I can assure you that we have learned our lesson from the events of the past week and we do not seek any revival of the Super League plans.

‘Manchester United is fortunate to be in a relatively stronger position than many clubs because of the resilience of our self-sustaining model.

‘We have a disciplined, long-term approach which has allowed us to navigate the pandemic, while continuing to invest in the team, which we will continue to do this summer.

‘We will now continue working with the rest of the football community to address the long-term challenges facing the game.

‘But I can assure you that we will be doing that with great sensitivity to the opinions that you and other fans have expressed in recent days.

‘As Joel said last week, our fans are what makes Manchester United so great, and they should always be at the heart of this club.’

source: dailymail.co.uk