United fans aim for right to buy Old Trafford

26 April 2013 17:48

A Manchester United supporters group has made an application to be given the opportunity to buy Old Trafford should the iconic stadium ever be put up for sale.

United's owners, the Glazer family, are not looking to sell United's world-famous home, where they have played since 1910. But that has not stopped the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) submitting a nomination to the local Trafford Council for the ground to be registered as an 'Asset of Community Value'.

If the application is accepted, MUST would be given the opportunity to buy the stadium should the Glazers ever decide to cash in.

While the notion seems far-fetched, there have been instances in the past where clubs have lost control of their stadiums and therefore the right to make money from them.

Trafford Council now has eight weeks to make a decision, leaving open the potential for the Glazers to appeal.

"A listing reduces the chances that Old Trafford could be secretly sold off and worse still Manchester United move to a new location, as we've seen with such disastrous effects at several other English clubs - perhaps the worst example being Wimbledon/Milton Keynes Dons," said MUST chief executive Duncan Drasdo.

"We don't have any reason to assume the Glazers currently have any plans to sell Old Trafford. However, if that truly is the case, they should have no reason to oppose this application."

Source: AFP