Glazer family took control of club in 2005 with more than £500m debt, causing much fan unrest ever since...


2003 Malcolm Glazer buys a 2.9% stake in Manchester United in March, which increases before the end of the year.

2004 Glazer’s stake in club reaches almost 20% in June and nears 30% in October. He makes bids for the club in October and December and removes three directors.

May 2005 Glazer makes a formal takeover bid on 12 May after his stake reaches almost 57%. Before the end of the month he owns more than 76% of the club and the board advise shareholders to accept his bid.

June 2005 Glazer secures 98% of shares and control of United. As part of the family’s leveraged takeover they load their own £525m borrowings on to the club to repay. FC United of Manchester are officially registered by disgruntled fans – later in the year the club kick off the 2005-06 season in the 10th tier of English football.

July 2005 Glazer family members make their first visit to Old Trafford. They end up being driven away in a police van for their own safety amid angry protests.

2006 ‘Love United Hate Glazer’ stickers are put on Old Trafford seats after a goalless draw with Middlesbrough in May as United head for a second-placed finish.

2010 The anti-Glazers green-and-gold campaign begins. In the same year it emerges that the club’s debt has hit £716.5m and that the Glazer family have taken £10m out of the club in “management and administration fees” and personally borrowed a further £10m in the past year. Before the year ends the Glazers pay off a high-interest hedge-fund £220m debt accruing 16.25% interest. This follows the raising of £504m in a bond issue.

2012 United shares start trading on the New York stock exchange. The family make £75m selling a portion of their shares.

2014 Malcolm Glazer dies. The Glazer family sells a further 12m shares for $17 each – making another $200m (£129m). In December, one of the Glazer brothers, Edward, announces the sale of 3m of his shares. Amid fan anger the Glazers rule out selling Manchester United for at least five years.

2015 It emerges that the six children of Malcolm Glazer who own United will be paid more than £15m every year from the club after an announcement that there will be a dividend to shareholders.

2017 The Glazers’ holding company, Red Football, sells 4.3m shares in United, for $17 per share. That is a further $73m (£56m) made by the Glazers.

2018 The Guardian reports that the Glazers’ takeover has drained out of United more than £1bn in interest, costs, fees and dividends since 2005.

2019 The latest dividend paid by the club is revealed to be £23m, of which the five Glazer brothers and their sister Darcie Glazer Kassewitz shared approximately £18m.

2020 United’s net debt increases by £127.4m to £429.1m in the 12 months to 31 March 2020, their latest set of accounts reveal.

March 2021 United’s co-chairman Avram Glazer puts shares worth more than £70m up for sale. Debt is up 16% to £455.5m after 12 months of the pandemic.

April 2021 Supporter anger flares over the Glazers’ attempt to take the club into the European Super League. Fans break into the training ground on 22 April.

2 May 2021 United supporters break into Old Trafford amid a protest against the owners.