Manchester United are so concerned about the increasing success of the green-and-gold anti-Glazer protests that the club have effectively forbidden Sir Alex Ferguson's players from speaking about it publicly and imposed a series of other measures aimed at counteracting the kind of publicity generated by David Beckham's endorsement of the campaign.
Beckham's parting statement after United's 4-0 defeat of Milan on Wednesday, leaving the pitch with a protest scarf around his neck, is being described as "an iconic moment" by the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (Must), and senior figures at Old Trafford are worried about the significance of the most famous sportsman on the planet attaching himself to a movement aimed at deposing the ruling Glazer family. In response the club have already:
• Banned players from discussing the campaign in the media.• Forbidden the in-house TV station, MUTV, from referring to the rebellion and edited questions about it from broadcasts of Ferguson's press conferences.
• Ejected a supporter from the audience of an MUTV show after he refused to remove a green-and-gold scarf.
• Sacked a steward after 19 years' service for attempting to return a confiscated anti-Glazer banner to its owners.
