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Glazer protesters storm UEFA meeting and demand action (go back to the homepage) Manchester United fans protesting about Malcolm Glazer's takeover stormed a UEFA meeting yesterday and demanded that European football's governing body investigate the club's new American owners. UEFA officials had just wound up a routine press conference, at the home of rivals Manchester City, when chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson was suddenly surrounded by 30 angry fans who called on UEFA to bar the Glazer family from taking control and to stop the club from spiralling into debt. Security officials seemed powerless to prevent what appeared to be a planned protest by members of both Shareholders United and the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association. Glazer has already announced ticket price rises and there are fears that he might try to set up his own global television deal. "We want UEFA to do something now, not next year, about the death of the club," said Nick Clay, a United fan for 30 years. "What's bad for Manchester United is bad for football." Ian Stirling, a Shareholders United member, added: "The fans are being ignored and UEFA should be looking after them [and] at indebted clubs competing in their tournaments." Olsson, clearly taken aback by the stunt, said: "We can voice an opinion, but we have no legal right to intervene. We do have strict rules on clubs in serious debt, but only if these debts are to other clubs or to players. Only then might a club not get a license to compete." Meanwhile, UEFA's executive committee decided that, should Liverpool reach the Champions League group stage, the other four English clubs will have to fork out a combined 10 per cent of their market share - about £5 million - to the champions. The move will infuriate Everton in their first Champions League campaign. But Olsson said the English clubs had only themselves to blame for forcing through Liverpool's participation. "Their quota of revenue comes out of the English pool," Olsson said. "We have given Liverpool the smallest market share because they came fifth in their league." He said if the scenario re-occurs the fourth-placed Premiership team would drop into the UEFA Cup to allow the title-holders to compete. Olsson said: "We would hope the English FA would abide by the rules in the future rather than be told what to do." |