Both Manchester United and Manchester City are protesting against their clubs' ticketing policies - so a planned PR gimmick about the Premier League charges misses the mark this weekend.
Sport Joe Bray Manchester City writer 05:00, 04 Apr 2025
How long into Sunday's derby will we hear the Stretford End accuse Manchester City of cheating? Or how long will it take for the away end to remark on Old Trafford's state of disrepair and the longevity of the Glazer Family?
It's derby weekend and gloves are off as usual. Especially in a season where neither team has given their fans much to shout about, City and United fans will enjoy themselves on Sunday by ribbing the other in musical form.
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However it seems some United fans will take it to another level with one bookmaker handing out 500 red scarves to home supporters with '115 charges' written on them, plus individually numbered charges to reference City's alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.
A PR stunt, of course, and why would United fans not poke fun at the biggest sporting story of the century when it involves their closest rivals? Yet this week has shown both sets of supporters have far more in common this weekend and could benefit far more by actually supporting each other.
City fans held a 'no-show' protest against Leicester this week, staying out of their seats for the first nine minutes to make their opinions clear about the club's nine official ticket resale partners. The action was certainly effective, with thousands of empty seats especially in the South Stand.
It was all the more notable, generating more media coverage, when Jack Grealish scored two minutes in. TV pictures of the goal show a half-empty Etihad, while the thousands of fans (at the estimate of the 1894 group) in the concourse were defiant in staying put despite the goal.
It was a protest that succeeded in its aims - visibility, support and spreading the message. The club met their elected Fan Advisory Board on Thursday over ticket issues, particularly next season's ticket prices, after delaying that meeting for weeks. Pep Guardiola supported their right to protest and urged the club to listen to concerns at the meeting.
It feels like progress was made ahead of the meeting. Whether the club do listen, or simply inform City Matters about next year's prices, will soon become apparent. And that will inform if any further protests happen.
Compare to United fans who have been hit with price rises for next season as well as premium seats turned into hospitality areas and discounts for OAPs reduced. They have staged protests before recent games and at an FC United match last week, and have planned a sit-in after the derby to further hammer home their views.
Sunday's sit-in and Wednesday's no-show both have the same issue at heart - how clubs treat their loyal fans. The only difference is one protest involved staying in a seat and the other involved staying out of one. Maybe those fans taking shots at each other at the derby have more in common than they think.
City and United have come together to support one another over issues that transcend a football rivalry. From the Manchester Arena atrocity, to the Super League, remembering legends of both clubs and helping locals during the pandemic. This should be another issue to find a common ground.
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