A group of Manchester United fans is apparently preparing a protest before the club’s first home game of the season over Mason Greenwood’s reintegration into the first squad.
According to The Athletic, the protestors, who are all frequent match-goers who wish to stay anonymous for the time being, intend to vent their feelings ahead of Monday’s game at Old Trafford versus Wolves.
Greenwood, 21, was arrested in January 2022 and suspended on full pay by United a short time later after being charged with suspected rape and abuse.
The Crown Prosecution Service, on the other hand, said in February of this year that the charges had been dismissed when ‘important witnesses’ withdrew their participation.
After the news broke, United issued a brief statement explaining how they would conduct an internal review to determine his future.
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According to the source, the activists have produced a banner in United colours with the message: ‘Female Fans Demand No Greenwood Return – End Violence Against Women.’
One of the organisers explained the reason for the protest to The Athletic as they said: “It’s time for the club to stand up and make the right decision.
“It’s time to say, ‘We have high standards at United about how we expect players to conduct themselves and, if you do not meet those standards, you need to be moved out.’
“This is a tipping point for the club. Are they going to side with commercialism and trophies and money? Or are they going to take the side of match-going fans and the club being a social and community institution that we can be proud of, and proud to have as part of our identity?”
The protestors plan to gather at the Holy Trinity statue outside Old Trafford ahead of Monday’s game, and they hope to be joined by several individuals who are already taking part in another protest against the club’s ownership by the unpopular Glazer family, which is being organized by the 1958 pressure group.
They also established up a Twitter account and issued a statement opposing Greenwood ever playing for the club again.
The statement read: “Today, we female fans of Manchester United are demanding that the club abide by their duty of care towards their female fans and employees and demonstrate a zero tolerance approach towards acts of violence against women by refusing to bring Mason Greenwood back into the squad.
“The situation is clear – taking Greenwood back legitimises and normalises sexual assault and domestic abuse. It tells other players and the men and boys that look up to them, that abusing women is acceptable, without consequence, and won’t affect you or derail your career.
“It also tells us, as women, that we don’t matter. It tells female MUFC employees that their employer is happy to make them work alongside an abuser and tells hundreds of thousands of female fans that supporting the team we love involves supporting men who abuse women like us.
“It tells us that our safety doesn’t matter, our experiences don’t matter; that the 1 in 4 women who experience domestic abuse and/or sexual assault in the UK don’t matter. It tells us that men who make the club money matter; not us, our fellow fans, mothers, sisters or daughters.”
