April 21 – Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward (pictured) has become the first high-profile victim of the European Super League’s dramatic collapse on Tuesday evening. He resigned and will step down from his role at the end of 2021.
The club announced his resignation before the Big Six withdrew from the proposed European Super League, which launched on Sunday evening, promising to reshape the global game and deliver major profits to a select group of owners and executives, but the proposal crumbled at a record pace under a tsunami of criticism from every corner of the football industry and beyond, with both England’s and France’s heads of state condemning the Super League.
Woodward, 49, had been set to leave at the end of the year, but the decision to announce his departure was brought forward. “I am extremely proud to have served United and it has been an honour to work for the world’s greatest football club for the past 16 years,” said Woodward. “The club is well positioned for the future and it will be difficult to walk away at the end of the year.”
As nuclear war broke out between UEFA and the rebel 12 clubs behind the Super League, the European governing body’s president Aleksander Ceferin criticised Woodward, arguing that the Manchester United executive had misled him, saying that Woodward was “very satisfied” with the new Champions League reforms that will see the competition played according to the ‘Swiss model’ from 2024 onwards to accommodate the big clubs.
“On behalf of everyone at United I would like to place on record our sincere thanks for his tireless work and dedication,” said Manchester United owner Joel Glazer. “His contribution to the club has been massive, and he will always be welcome at Old Trafford as a part of the Manchester United family.”
Woodward’s departure will end long-running ties between the executive and the Glazer family. Woodward worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers before joining JP Morgan as an investment banker. In 2005, he advised and facilitated the Glazer family’s controversial takeover of Manchester United.
The Glazers hired Woodward to run the club’s commercial and media operations. He worked to build Manchester United’s brand with the club quickly becoming the richest football outfit in the world in terms of revenues, but his policies in the transfer market and his managerial appointments after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson were heavily criticised and led to Manchester’s decline in sporting terms with David Moyes, Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal all failing to maintain the club at the top in the post-Ferguson era. In recent seasons, Manchester United have failed to challenge credibly for the top prizes, having stagnated under current coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who arrived at Old Trafford in 2018.
Even so the Glazers, who have extracted $1 billion from the club during their ownership and burdened United with debts in excess of $500 million, were content with Woodward. In 2013, he replaced David Gill as executive vice-chairman.
Woodward excelled in bringing in sponsors from around the world, with around 40 agreements at national, international and global level. He brokered lucrative, high-profile deals with Chevrolet and other global brands as well as partnerships with tractor and noodle brands, expanding United’s reach. He was a dream executive for the Glazer family, but deeply unpopular with the club’s fans who blamed him for United’s miserable sporting fortunes. His lack of communication didn’t help either. In 2020, Woodward’s home in Cheshire was attacked by a group chanting that he was “going to die”.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1735100995labto1735100995ofdlr1735100995owedi1735100995sni@o1735100995fni1735100995