Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, reportedly entered Old Trafford through a back entrance on Sunday ahead of the Manchester derby, as United fans staged a large-scale protest.

Like many VIPs at Old Trafford, Ratcliffe typically enters through the Stretford End entrance at the stadium's southwest corner. However, on a day when hundreds of United fans protested the club's ownership, Ratcliffe entered the stadium from the Sir Alex Ferguson stand area on the northwest side.

Ratcliffe was welcomed by Josh Thompson, Manchester United's multi-project manager. Thompson has held this role since February 2024 and regularly attends United's home matches.

Thompson's father, Jonathan Davey, previously served as chief executive of Ratcliffe's Ineos petrochemical group.

According to a witness, Ratcliffe arrived at the stadium approximately 50 minutes before kick-off. He traveled in a chauffeur-driven car and, after passing through crowds of fans, exited the vehicle and entered the stadium through a back door on the northwest side. Security barriers were subsequently lowered to allow the car to drive into the forecourt area near car park W2.

United protesters gathered at the Bishop Blaize pub on Chester Road, approximately a five-minute walk from the stadium. In the past, pre-match United protests have extended further to the Munich Tunnel in the Bobby Charlton stand, where the directors' area is located.

Fans chanted slogans opposing Ratcliffe and the Glazer family, protesting the club's recent crackdown on ticket touting. This action resulted in thousands of fan accounts being suspended and 166 others facing season-ticket bans for at least one year.

As Manchester United and Manchester City players took the pitch on Sunday, a banner was displayed in the players' tunnel reading: "The way you treat us is a disgrace."

Avram Glazer also attended Old Trafford that day, marking his first time watching a United match at the stadium since the season opener against Arsenal in August last year. His brother Joel Glazer has not attended a United match at Old Trafford since the Champions League quarter-final loss to Barcelona in April 2019.

A Manchester United spokesperson said: "We never comment on anything related to ownership changes."

Website AF đã ra mắt! Xem tin tức đầy đủ, bình luận, chi tiết trận đấu và thống kê trên máy tính. Truy cập: www.allfootballapp.com