3 Premier League club owners despised by fans
"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. But football fans know it is much more important than that. Once you are in, you are in. For the long haul, for life. It is not easy being a fan but real fans wouldn't want it any other way. Years of pain and hopeless expectation. In exchange for what ? Moments of pure joy. You have to be a fan to know how much it means."
Pepsi's "We know how much it means" TV commercial, which aired between 2014 and 2017, struck a chord with many fans of the game; they could relate to the words from the commercial.
It is not easy to be an active fan of a club. With the ever-inflating regular and season ticket prices in the Premier League, it becomes even harder. The difficulties in transportation to and from game venues also add to the unpleasant experience of football fans. However, like the commercial says "real fans wouldn't want it any other way".
However, what fans are very unwilling to tolerate whatsoever are terrible club owners. Right from owners' unwillingness to splash money on transfers or the community, inability to connect with the fan base, exploitation of the club for personal gain, ever-increasing ticket prices or any other forms of unpleasantness.
Fans do not just like when the club owner is adding to their suffering and remains indifferent to their plight and that of the team.
Despite added pressure on owners of EPL clubs to increase their investment, some of them refuse to budge and keep their fans in perpetual frustration. Here, we look at three EPL club bosses that are despised by the fan base of their respective clubs.
#3 The Glazer Family - Manchester United
The animosity of fans of the Red Devils towards their owners, The Glazer family, has somewhat waned in recent years. However, they remain one of the most controversial and disliked club owners in the Premier League.
The manner with which the Glazer family seized power at the Old Trafford club left many fans and the supporters trust disgruntled. Plunging the Red Devils into serious debt was of little consideration for the wealthy family, as they used several loans to finance its acquisition.
A fan campaign called "Love United, Hate Glazers" eventually turned into a movement by the wealthy fans known as the "Red Knights" to do a billion-pound takeover of the club in 2010. The takeover bid failed as the group couldn't match the Glazers valuation of the club.
Many Manchester United fans still have a strong distrust of the Glazer family and believe they are exploiting United for personal gain. Reports of huge payouts or debts accrued by the Glazers do not also help their cause.