By Mark Baber
May 11 – As the 10 year anniversary of the Glazer takeover of Manchester United approaches, a story has emerged that the Florida-based owners have ruled out selling Old Trafford’s naming rights. Meanwhile another mischievous story suggests United players have had to be ordered to drive their sponsor-provided Chevrolets.
Whilst the controversy over the US take-over of United has subsided over the years, the “news” that the Glazers will show respect for the club’s traditions by “foregoing a potential £20 million-a-year windfall” in not selling the naming rights to Old Trafford may help assuage remaining doubts over the leveraged buyout.
The story has been eagerly taken up by some United fans, allowing them to compare their club favourably with Premier League rivals Manchester City, whose deal with Etihad already brings in £35 million a year, and Arsenal, whose deal with the Emirates Airlines brings in £30 million a year.
Rather less welcome for the United hierarchy is a story in the Daily Star on Sunday, revealing that United stars have been “ordered to get behind the wheels of the free motors provided by £47m-a-year shirt sponsor Chevrolet after bosses were worried they were shunning the luxury fleet.”
According to a “football source” most of the players have refused to drive the sponsors vehicles, preferring Porsches and Range Rovers.
An identical story, referencing the same fleet of Chevrolets, was featured in the Mail in October last year, when a Chevrolet spokesman was quoted as saying that the players were under no obligation to drive the cars provided, calling it a “voluntary drive programme”.
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