Man United Fans Plan to Revive Trophy Drought Banner Following Man City's Financial Charges
A prominent Manchester United supporters' group is reportedly reviving a historic banner that taunted Manchester City over their lack of trophies, in light of the Premier League's recent charges against the club.
Manchester United fans are reportedly planning to reintroduce a well-known ticker banner that previously mocked Manchester City's trophy drought. This move comes in the wake of the Premier League finding Manchester City guilty of numerous financial rule breaches.
The banner, which first appeared at Old Trafford's Stretford End in 2000, initially displayed "24 years," referencing the significant gap since Manchester City's last trophy in the 1976 League Cup. The number was updated annually.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini had vowed that his team would be the ones to take down the banner. The club achieved this by winning the 2011 FA Cup final against Stoke City. Following this victory, Manchester City players posed with a revised version of the banner, which had its ticker reset to zero. At the time of its removal, the original banner had reached 35 years.
The 2011 FA Cup triumph marked the beginning of a highly successful era for Manchester City. Since then, the club has secured eight Premier League titles, a Champions League, three additional FA Cups, and seven League Cups.
Last week, an independent commission found Manchester City in breach of Premier League rules over a nine-year period, alleging the club illegally received over £900 million. Manchester City has appealed this decision. Potential sanctions for the club could include relegation or the stripping of titles.
The Red Army, a Manchester United fans' group, has signaled their intention to bring back the ticker banner, referencing the possibility of Manchester City having titles revoked. A new version of the banner is anticipated to be displayed at the Stretford End for Manchester United's upcoming Premier League match against Tottenham.
This updated banner is expected to show "50 years," progressing towards 51, with the 1976 League Cup again cited by Manchester United fans as their rivals' last legitimate trophy.
Manc hester United manager Michael Carrick, who was part of the team that narrowly missed out on the 2012 Premier League title to Manchester City on the final day, acknowledged that emotions from that period cannot be entirely erased, irrespective of the disciplinary case's outcome.
"I've got my own questions about it. It's affected me personally in different ways over a period of time," Carrick stated. "But as the case is going now, I don't know where that stands and how it's going to end up. So we'll just have to wait and see."
He added, "What I will say, the sooner it gets sorted, I think for everyone's benefit, is essential. Regardless of anything, a medal anyway, in any sport in history, I think later on you get the medal and it's proved at different times. It's the moment that you strive for, to win and achieve in that moment. So the medal here or there, not getting blown away, but that doesn't bring the feeling of whether you initially win or you don't win. That's essentially what we're all in for."