&nbsp;It has certainly been a year of sporting contrasts for American businessman Joel Glazer. In February, he was in a celebratory mood, raising the Vince Lombardi trophy as his NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl, led by veteran quarterback Tom Brady.

IN PICS:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/thousands-of-manchester-united-fans-break-into-old-trafford-ahead-of-liverpool-clash-382299" hreflang="en">Thousands of Manchester United fans break into Old Trafford ahead of Liverpool clash!</a>

Three months later, Glazer's Premier League soccer team, Manchester United, had to call off their match against rivals Liverpool following violent protests against the American's ownership of the club.

The Florida-based Glazer family have owned United since 2005 and have faced fan opposition from the moment they completed their takeover but the leading role they played in the failed attempt to launch the European Super League last month has reignited the protests.

United were&nbsp;due to play traditional rivals, Liverpool, on Sunday but the game was called off by authorities due to safety concerns after protestors clashed with police and some invaded the field.

One group of supporters broke through security and into the stadium, which was closed to fans due to COVID-19 restrictions, protesting on the field and damaging some property inside the ground.

The late Malcolm Glazer, the family patriarch who made his fortune in real estate and stocks, bought United in May 2005 for 790 million pounds ($1.09 billion), after entering the sports business in 1995 with a takeover of the Buccaneers.

Since his death in 2014, his two sons Joel and Avram have been co-chairmen of United with the former playing a prominent part in the recent Super League controversy -- he was named the short-lived breakaway's founding vice-chairman.

That affair has relit the always smoldering protest movement amongst United fans and had now thrown the club into crisis.

Glazer has apologized for the club's involvement in the project, which would have seen 12 of the top clubs in Europe breakaway from the established structures to create a privately owned championship.

But United fans have not accepted the apology.

"Actions speak louder than words and he and his family have shown time and again that their sole motivation is personal profit at the expense of our&nbsp;football&nbsp;club," The Manchester United Supporters Trust said in a statement on Friday.

Former United captain Gary Neville, now a prominent television analyst, said on Sunday that Glazer's hope of "rebuilding trust" was a forlorn one.

GENERAL DISTRUST

"The Glazers say they want to rebuild the trust but they never had the trust of the supporters. I think (the protests are) a warning to the owners of the&nbsp;football&nbsp;club that ultimately they're not going to accept what they've done in the last couple of weeks," he said.

"This is a consequence of the Manchester United owners' actions two weeks ago. There is a general distrust and dislike of the owners, but they weren't protesting two or three weeks ago."

The initial hostility to the Glazers was focused on the nature of their takeover -- a leveraged deal in which United took on loans of 525 million pounds to finance the acquisition.

An effigy of Malcolm Glazer was burnt in the street during mass protests and there was even a new club, FC United of Manchester, created by fans in 2005.

But the retirement of the club's hugely successful manager Alex Ferguson, who won a record 13 Premier League championships and two European Champions League titles, led to another wave of opposition to the Glazers.

United have not won a Premier League title since Ferguson's departure in 2013, struggling to compete with local rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.

Many protests have focused on the Glazer-appointed executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward who, while widely praised for the club's commercial success in striking global sponsorship deals, was blamed for a succession of poor player signings and coaching appointments.

Woodward tendered his resignation in the midst of the Super League fall-out but his departure has done nothing to calm the anger of hardcore United fans.

Neville agrees with the protesting fans that the Americans should now sell the club.

"My view is quite simply that they're going to make a fortune if they sell the club and if they were to put it up for sale now I think the time would be right, and it would be the honorable thing to do," he said.

But the Glazers have lasted 16 years in the face of hostility and there has been no indication they plan a quick sale.

United issued a statement on the protests on Sunday but did not address the question of their owners' future or provide any comment from Glazer.

"Our fans are passionate about Manchester United, and we completely acknowledge the right to free expression and peaceful protest," the club said.,

"However, we regret the disruption to the team and actions which put other fans, staff, and the police in danger."

It has certainly been a year of sporting contrasts for American businessman Joel Glazer. In February, he was in a celebratory mood, raising the Vince Lombardi trophy as his NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl, led by veteran quarterback Tom Brady.

It has certainly been a year of sporting contrasts for American businessman Joel Glazer. In February, he was in a celebratory mood, raising the Vince Lombardi trophy as his NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl, led by veteran quarterback Tom Brady. IN PICS: Thousands of Manchester United fans break into Old Trafford ahead of Liverpool clash! Three months later, Glazer's Premier League soccer team, Manchester United, had to call off their match against rivals Liverpool following violent protests against the American's ownership of the club. The Florida-based Glazer family have owned United since 2005 and have faced fan opposition from the moment they completed their takeover but the leading role they played in the failed attempt to launch the European Super League last month has reignited the protests. United were due to play traditional rivals, Liverpool, on Sunday but the game was called off by authorities due to safety concerns after protestors clashed with police and some invaded the field. One group of supporters broke through security and into the stadium, which was closed to fans due to COVID-19 restrictions, protesting on the field and damaging some property inside the ground. The late Malcolm Glazer, the family patriarch who made his fortune in real estate and stocks, bought United in May 2005 for 790 million pounds ($1.09 billion), after entering the sports business in 1995 with a takeover of the Buccaneers. Since his death in 2014, his two sons Joel and Avram have been co-chairmen of United with the former playing a prominent part in the recent Super League controversy -- he was named the short-lived breakaway's founding vice-chairman. That affair has relit the always smoldering protest movement amongst United fans and had now thrown the club into crisis. Glazer has apologized for the club's involvement in the project, which would have seen 12 of the top clubs in Europe breakaway from the established structures to create a privately owned championship. But United fans have not accepted the apology. "Actions speak louder than words and he and his family have shown time and again that their sole motivation is personal profit at the expense of our football club," The Manchester United Supporters Trust said in a statement on Friday. Former United captain Gary Neville, now a prominent television analyst, said on Sunday that Glazer's hope of "rebuilding trust" was a forlorn one. GENERAL DISTRUST "The Glazers say they want to rebuild the trust but they never had the trust of the supporters. I think (the protests are) a warning to the owners of the football club that ultimately they're not going to accept what they've done in the last couple of weeks," he said. "This is a consequence of the Manchester United owners' actions two weeks ago. There is a general distrust and dislike of the owners, but they weren't protesting two or three weeks ago." The initial hostility to the Glazers was focused on the nature of their takeover -- a leveraged deal in which United took on loans of 525 million pounds to finance the acquisition. An effigy of Malcolm Glazer was burnt in the street during mass protests and there was even a new club, FC United of Manchester, created by fans in 2005. But the retirement of the club's hugely successful manager Alex Ferguson, who won a record 13 Premier League championships and two European Champions League titles, led to another wave of opposition to the Glazers. United have not won a Premier League title since Ferguson's departure in 2013, struggling to compete with local rivals Manchester City and Liverpool. Many protests have focused on the Glazer-appointed executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward who, while widely praised for the club's commercial success in striking global sponsorship deals, was blamed for a succession of poor player signings and coaching appointments. Woodward tendered his resignation in the midst of the Super League fall-out but his departure has done nothing to calm the anger of hardcore United fans. Neville agrees with the protesting fans that the Americans should now sell the club. "My view is quite simply that they're going to make a fortune if they sell the club and if they were to put it up for sale now I think the time would be right, and it would be the honorable thing to do," he said. But the Glazers have lasted 16 years in the face of hostility and there has been no indication they plan a quick sale. United issued a statement on the protests on Sunday but did not address the question of their owners' future or provide any comment from Glazer. "Our fans are passionate about Manchester United, and we completely acknowledge the right to free expression and peaceful protest," the club said., "However, we regret the disruption to the team and actions which put other fans, staff, and the police in danger."

Manchester United's American owners facing strongest opposition yet

Violence during Sunday's protests from Manchester United fans, which led to the Premier League game with Liverpool being postponed, has been condemned by the UK government's sports minister and the mayor of Greater Manchester.

United fans protesting against the club's American owners, the Glazer family, stormed into the stadium which was closed to fans due to COVID-19 restrictions.

A flare was thrown at the broadcasters podium as fans ran onto the field and protesters clashed with police outside the ground.

Greater Manchester Police&nbsp;said two officers were injured with one requiring hospital treatment after he was attacked with a bottle and suffered a slash wound to his face.

IN PICS |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/thousands-of-manchester-united-fans-break-into-old-trafford-ahead-of-liverpool-clash-382299" hreflang="en">Thousands of Manchester United fans break into Old Trafford ahead of Liverpool clash!</a>

"Passions are running high in&nbsp;football&nbsp;but there are ways to protest and make your voice heard without hurting or endangering others," said Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Tourism and Sport.

"We understand the frustrations, but the violence by a small minority of fans at Old Trafford yesterday was unacceptable," he said.

The fan protests against the Glazers, which have been taken place since they bought the club in 2005, have been reignited since United's involvement in the attempt to create a breakaway European Super League. [L1N2MP0FH]

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham expressed support for the aims of the protesters but criticized the violence.

"I fully understand the long-standing concerns of Manchester United supporters about both the ownership and financing of their club and the wider running of&nbsp;football," he said.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/manchester-uniteds-american-owners-facing-strongest-opposition-yet-382438" hreflang="en">Manchester United's American owners facing strongest opposition yet</a>

"It is important to make clear that the majority of supporters made their protest peacefully...however, there is no excuse for the actions of a minority who injured police officers and endangered the safety of others," he added.

British foreign office minister James Cleverly said there was a need to understand the mood of&nbsp;football&nbsp;supporters.

"(We) cannot, cannot condone the images that we've seen about storming the ground," Cleverly told Sky News. "But we do need to understand the frustrations that fans have not just with Manchester United, but with a number of clubs across the game."

GMP Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said the behavior of the fans was "reckless and dangerous".&nbsp;

&nbsp; "We have launched an investigation and we will be working closely alongside partners to ensure we establish the full circumstances surrounding today's events and prosecute those responsibly," he said.

No decision has yet been made on the rescheduling of the match or about any sanctions for Sunday's events.

Violence during Sunday's protests from Manchester United fans, which led to the Premier League game with Liverpool being postponed, has been condemned by the UK government's sports minister and the mayor of Greater Manchester.

Violence during Sunday's protests from Manchester United fans, which led to the Premier League game with Liverpool being postponed, has been condemned by the UK government's sports minister and the mayor of Greater Manchester. United fans protesting against the club's American owners, the Glazer family, stormed into the stadium which was closed to fans due to COVID-19 restrictions. A flare was thrown at the broadcasters podium as fans ran onto the field and protesters clashed with police outside the ground. Greater Manchester Police said two officers were injured with one requiring hospital treatment after he was attacked with a bottle and suffered a slash wound to his face. IN PICS | Thousands of Manchester United fans break into Old Trafford ahead of Liverpool clash! "Passions are running high in football but there are ways to protest and make your voice heard without hurting or endangering others," said Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Tourism and Sport. "We understand the frustrations, but the violence by a small minority of fans at Old Trafford yesterday was unacceptable," he said. The fan protests against the Glazers, which have been taken place since they bought the club in 2005, have been reignited since United's involvement in the attempt to create a breakaway European Super League. [L1N2MP0FH] Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham expressed support for the aims of the protesters but criticized the violence. "I fully understand the long-standing concerns of Manchester United supporters about both the ownership and financing of their club and the wider running of football," he said. ALSO READ: Manchester United's American owners facing strongest opposition yet "It is important to make clear that the majority of supporters made their protest peacefully...however, there is no excuse for the actions of a minority who injured police officers and endangered the safety of others," he added. British foreign office minister James Cleverly said there was a need to understand the mood of football supporters. "(We) cannot, cannot condone the images that we've seen about storming the ground," Cleverly told Sky News. "But we do need to understand the frustrations that fans have not just with Manchester United, but with a number of clubs across the game." GMP Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said the behavior of the fans was "reckless and dangerous". "We have launched an investigation and we will be working closely alongside partners to ensure we establish the full circumstances surrounding today's events and prosecute those responsibly," he said. No decision has yet been made on the rescheduling of the match or about any sanctions for Sunday's events.

Manchester United fan violence condemned by government and mayor

Manchester United revealed on Thursday that sacking&nbsp;Jose&nbsp;Mourinho cost the club nearly £20 million, with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward hailing the impact of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The sum of £19.6 million ($25 million) which is listed under "exceptional items" in the club's second-quarter results, includes pay-outs for the members of&nbsp;Mourinho's staff who left with him after he was sacked in December.

The fortunes of the Premier League club have been transformed since Solskjaer took the helm as interim boss.

United are now in the top four after being 11 points adrift of the Champions League places when&nbsp;Mourinho&nbsp;left.

Solskjaer won 10 and drew one of his opening 11 games but the remarkable run came to an end on Tuesday, when United were beaten 2-0 at home in the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain.

Speaking on a conference call with investors, Woodward hailed the "fantastic start" under the Norwegian, who set a club record by winning his first eight matches in charge.

But he refused to be drawn on the process of appointing a new permanent boss.&nbsp;

"We communicated around December-time about what we were doing putting Ole in place as a caretaker and the next communication with regard to this will be when we have something to announce regarding the manager," he said. "We're not going to give updates part-way through."

And he was also coy on the club's reported move for a director of football.

"A lot has obviously been written about this.... With regard to the overall structure, we are looking at that and looking at ways that we can make it stronger and that is something we do on a continual basis," he said.

In their earnings report, the club announced record revenues of £208.6 million for the quarter, which translate into earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of £104.3 million and an operating profit of £44 million.

As well as replacing the&nbsp;Mourinho&nbsp;regime with Solskjaer and assistant manager Mike Phelan, the club have recently agreed new contracts with Anthony Martial, Ashley Young, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Scott McTominay.

The club's wage bill for the quarter, which ended on December 31, was £77.9 million, an increase of 11.8 percent on the corresponding period a year ago.

Real Madrid last month knocked Manchester United off the top of Deloitte's Football Money League after two years at the top for the Premier League club.

United's share price, which hit $17.28 in New York in December, is now heading back towards $20.

Manchester United revealed on Thursday that sacking Jose Mourinho cost the club nearly £20 million, with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward hailing the impact of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Manchester United revealed on Thursday that sacking Jose Mourinho cost the club nearly £20 million, with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward hailing the impact of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The sum of £19.6 million ($25 million) which is listed under "exceptional items" in the club's second-quarter results, includes pay-outs for the members of Mourinho's staff who left with him after he was sacked in December. The fortunes of the Premier League club have been transformed since Solskjaer took the helm as interim boss. United are now in the top four after being 11 points adrift of the Champions League places when Mourinho left. Solskjaer won 10 and drew one of his opening 11 games but the remarkable run came to an end on Tuesday, when United were beaten 2-0 at home in the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain. Speaking on a conference call with investors, Woodward hailed the "fantastic start" under the Norwegian, who set a club record by winning his first eight matches in charge. But he refused to be drawn on the process of appointing a new permanent boss. "We communicated around December-time about what we were doing putting Ole in place as a caretaker and the next communication with regard to this will be when we have something to announce regarding the manager," he said. "We're not going to give updates part-way through." And he was also coy on the club's reported move for a director of football. "A lot has obviously been written about this.... With regard to the overall structure, we are looking at that and looking at ways that we can make it stronger and that is something we do on a continual basis," he said. In their earnings report, the club announced record revenues of £208.6 million for the quarter, which translate into earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of £104.3 million and an operating profit of £44 million. As well as replacing the Mourinho regime with Solskjaer and assistant manager Mike Phelan, the club have recently agreed new contracts with Anthony Martial, Ashley Young, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Scott McTominay. The club's wage bill for the quarter, which ended on December 31, was £77.9 million, an increase of 11.8 percent on the corresponding period a year ago. Real Madrid last month knocked Manchester United off the top of Deloitte's Football Money League after two years at the top for the Premier League club. United's share price, which hit $17.28 in New York in December, is now heading back towards $20.

Manchester United confirm huge Mourinho pay-off

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Manchester United's American owners facing strongest opposition yet

Manchester United fan violence condemned by government and mayor

Manchester United confirm huge Mourinho pay-off