|
|
Manchester United fans have a right to know what is going on at their club - FA chairman Lord Triesman
And fan-run football clubs can work in England...
8 Mar 2010 17:09:00
By Alex Dimond
Football Association chairman Lord Triesman believes that fans have the right to know how owners are running the clubs they support.
With the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) currently protesting against the Glazers' ownership of their club, Triesman understands and respects their concerns.
Triesman believes that Manchester United's current American owners are more than capable of handling the club's business. But he accepts he would be worried if he was one of the club's fans.
"As it happens I think United are a huge business capable of generating very, very big resources," he said, according to the Press Association.
"I am really not saying Manchester United cannot deal with its overall financial arrangements but of course fans do take a view about whether their club is all right.
"If they have been very successful they want them to continue to be very successful so they are interested in where the funds are.
"I know perfectly well when I thought Robert Maxwell was going to take over Tottenham I was deeply concerned. I'm not making that point frivolously, people love their clubs and certainly want them to be in good shape.
"It would be disappointing in any club if fans were not interested in the whole thing."
Triesman also insisted that football clubs could never really be treated the same as an 'ordinary' business, because of the sheer variety of emotive factors involved in being a supporter.
With the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) currently protesting against the Glazers' ownership of their club, Triesman understands and respects their concerns.
Triesman believes that Manchester United's current American owners are more than capable of handling the club's business. But he accepts he would be worried if he was one of the club's fans.
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
"As it happens I think United are a huge business capable of generating very, very big resources," he said, according to the Press Association.
"I am really not saying Manchester United cannot deal with its overall financial arrangements but of course fans do take a view about whether their club is all right.
"If they have been very successful they want them to continue to be very successful so they are interested in where the funds are.
"I know perfectly well when I thought Robert Maxwell was going to take over Tottenham I was deeply concerned. I'm not making that point frivolously, people love their clubs and certainly want them to be in good shape.
"It would be disappointing in any club if fans were not interested in the whole thing."
Triesman also insisted that football clubs could never really be treated the same as an 'ordinary' business, because of the sheer variety of emotive factors involved in being a supporter.
"Being a fan is a mixture of all sorts of things," he added.
"It's not a customer going into a shop. You want success on the pitch, there are deep cultural things involved, and most of time you support the club your dad supported.
"There's inevitably a sense of community even if a club is a great international brand as well. It's a huge mixture of things that fuel the emotion of football.
"My expectation always is that fans will be interested in the lot."
With a group of London financiers known as the 'Red Knights' reportedly looking into buying the club, Triesman also believes there is a place in English football for fan-run clubs, similar to the likes of Barcelona."There are some good fan-run clubs and there have been in England too - there have been some clubs in difficulties where the fans have been the decisive factor such as York City and Bournemouth," he noted.
"Broadly speaking we are organised around companies and company law and I think that is a reality of our circumstance.
"But I don't think that fact alters the way in which fans look at their club and the way it is treasured in a way that not all that many social institutions are."
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
Inside Goal.Com
-
Welbeck convinces Hodgson he is the man to lead the line
England beat Norway 1-0 at Wembley, with the Manchester United man hitting an impressive winner to stake his claim for a starting spot at Euro 2012
-
In Pictures: The best and worst kits at Euro 2012
The European Championship is just around the corner and Goal.com distinguishes between the trendy and the passe at the prestigious tournament
-
The five players Rodgers could sign to kick-start revolution
The new Reds boss was unveiled to the press on Friday and must immediately begin work on revitalising a thin squad with some additions in the transfer market
-
Managerial merry-go-round keeps spinning as Lambert takes Villa job
The Scot officially left Norwich City on Saturday to become the second new boss in June, following the appointment of Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool on Friday
-
Rodgers ushers in new Anfield era on his own terms
The Northern Irishman inevitably expressed his delight at landing the Reds job but evidenced plenty of the steely resolve which could see him become a success at Anfield
