For many within the loyal ranks of the Manchester United fanbase, undivided support and complete adoration of the football club take precedence over everything else.
As sure as day will turn to night, controversy will accompany the small matter of football, and idle ownership plays a starring role.
Whether through the financial mismanagement of the Glazer family, or through the would-be ‘best-in-class’ stewardship of Ineos, the 20-time English champions are routinely hampered by internal matters.
Despite this, hordes of fans routinely dedicate their lives to the club, channelling their passion into official communities and networks.
Among the many great organisations worldwide, the official Manchester United Muslim Supporters’ Club (MUMSC) represents more than 3,700 members across 85 countries.
Like many, members are disillusioned with boardroom decisions, a lack of impetus to return the club to competitive standing, and the ongoing treatment of its working-class fanbase.
In response, the MUMSC, officially welcomed as part of United’s global network over two years ago, published a statement of no confidence in ownership on September 19, focusing on ‘the direction, leadership, and identity of Manchester United Football Club’.
“It had been bubbling for quite a while,” Asif Mahmud, MUMSC Co-Founder & Chairman, told the Theatre of Red.
“After the City game, I left the stadium, I looked at fellow supporters, and all just felt the same way. I felt something needed to happen—when is enough going to be enough for Man United fans, when are we going to do something?
“On that Monday (Sep 14), I drafted a statement and spoke to the committee, who unanimously agreed that we should put the statement out.
“I then reached out to two contacts, one at an unofficial supporters’ trust and one at an official supporters club. I hoped we could get other supporters’ clubs together to do it as one.
“There was never an intention for us to put out the statement, or for us to be the ones behind it, or for us to rally everyone behind us. That wasn’t the intention, and I made it clear.
“But as time progressed, we didn’t hear anything, and we lost at Brighton. I spoke to one of the contacts again, and they received zero response. Our statement was already drafted, and we decided that we had to go ahead with it.”
The message received almost immediate national recognition through widespread media coverage. However, much of the focus was on criticism of Jim Ratcliffe’s comments on immigration, taxation, and welfare, rather than his dealings with United.
Naturally, this left many members disenchanted because the primary objective was overshadowed by forced concentration on wider issues.
“To be honest with you, that wasn’t our intention,” Asif stated when asked about the media’s interpretation of the statement. “We had to say something about what he said because, well, obviously we didn’t agree, and we felt we needed to call it out.
“The majority of the statement, at least two-thirds of it, was about the ownership. All of the media outlets have focused on ‘Man United muslims call for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to leave because of his comments on immigration’. No, that’s not true; we called on the Glazers and Ineos to leave because of what they are doing to the football club.
“Focusing on the immigration side purely diluted the message, and if anything, it just riled up plenty of people against us who weren’t even United fans; they were just people who agreed with his point.
“We don’t disagree that there isn’t a conversation to be had, but reducing the UK’s troubles to two aspects, such as immigration and claims, is disingenuous. You rile up a certain section of the community.
“Then, when someone sees me, they see someone who doesn’t belong here and has no place in society. Not everyone, but obviously, a certain section. That’s why his comments are so powerful.”
Understandably, Mr Mahmud swiftly sought to raise public awareness of the Supporter Club’s intentions with their statement, and to express disenchantment with the media’s selective framing in reporting.
As chairman, his goal was not to ostracise the MUMSC; it was to create a unified approach to removing ownership and setting the club on a stable course towards success. He has since had time to digest that.
“Maybe, naively on my part, I thought that other groups, other trusts, other supporters’ clubs might think to put out their own statement.
“They don’t have to agree with everything that we’ve said, but one thing that we can all agree on is that we are not happy with the ownership.
“I had hoped we might see somewhat of a snowball effect, highlighting the power of a unified voice in speaking out against a common issue.”
However, what began as a passionate attempt to unite the fanbase turned into an arduous ordeal, leaving many within the MUMSC disenchanted in the aftermath.
Not only has the primary message been misunderstood, but many members of the muslim organisation have been targeted daily with visceral abuse, receiving little to no assistance.
“I have spoken to a few different people, privately, and there has been support. But in terms of public support, there hasn’t been any,” Asif stated.
“To be honest, for many of us, we were quite upset about that. Yes, talk on immigration can be quite polarising, and we understand that there is a legitimate conversation around that.
“But the amount of abuse we have received over the last week has been absolutely horrific—hit pieces by various right-wing news outlets. We’ve been called out and questioned about why we should even exist.
“People telling us, not in small numbers, to get out of the country, to leave; we don’t belong here. We’ve been receiving emails and messages from people saying the same thing.
“It would have been nice to have had some support about the backlash we’ve received just purely on who we are.”
Despite enduring unwanted attention and waves of targeted abuse, Asif will not be swayed from his love of the football club, nor will any of the MUMSC community.
Moving forward, they will evaluate their long-term strategy in light of the response and feedback to their statement, while remaining loyal to their cherished members.
Asif recognises his responsibility to every individual and takes immense pride in working with people around the globe to help them achieve their lifelong dream of visiting Old Trafford.
He also hopes for a unified message across multiple supporter clubs, which he holds in tremendous respect, to remove those in charge of the 20-time English champions.
“There’s very little communication from the ownership; there’s very little anything,” he reiterated.
“Our collective outlook amongst our membership base is that we dislike the ownership model. We had high hopes for Ineos and Sir Jim, because he’s a Manchester lad, but we have no confidence.
“You look at the level of debt today compared to before Ineos arrived, and it’s actually worse. So, if you measure it that way, I would say things aren’t going well.
“How are the club meant to fund the building of a team, the building of a new stadium, and service their debt with a workforce that has been stripped to its bare bones, and with no money to spend.
“It doesn’t make sense. It’s either going to take 15-20 years to do it, and by then we’ll be well behind, or it just won’t happen. It’s just not feasible.
“The message remains the same today: we’re not happy, and a change is needed!”
Let us know your thoughts in the comments or across our social channels. Get in touch with the MUMSC.
Photo by News Images via depositphotos.com.
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