Explained: Why the Glazers won't be attending funeral of Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton

The Red Devils and England icon, who savoured European Cup and World Cup glory with club and country, passed away on October 21 at the age of 86. The all-time great, who won the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 1966, had been struggling with dementia prior to his passing.

Charlton made over 750 appearances for United in his playing days, while earning 106 caps for England, and was a director at Old Trafford up until his dementia diagnosis in 2020. The world of football will unite to celebrate his life at an emotional service at Manchester Cathedral on November 13.

According to the Daily Star, no representatives from the Glazer family will be present. That is because the current owners of United are wary of upsetting supporters that have been opposed to their ongoing presence for some time. A long-running takeover saga at Old Trafford has dragged on for almost a year now.

The Glazers do not want to make negative headlines as tributes are paid to Sir Bobby, meaning that they will choose to stay away. If a late change is made to those plans, with talks having been held with senior officials at United, then Joel Glazer will be the man to represent the unpopular ownership team.