Sunday's highly anticipated English Premier League match between hosts Manchester United and rival Liverpool was postponed as United supporters were able to breach barricades and enter the pitch at Old Trafford in demonstrations against the Glazer family, owners of the team.
"Following the security breach at Old Trafford, the Manchester United vs. Liverpool game has been postponed," the Premier League said in a statement. "This is a collective decision from the police, both clubs, the Premier League and local authorities."
The demonstrations result from an increasingly tenuous relationship toward ownership that was exacerbated in recent weeks when the Glazers were named as co-chairmen of the ill-fated Super League in an April 18 announcement. The fans' unhappiness with the team has been percolating even after the league ceased operations within a week of its announcement.
"We are disgusted, embarrassed and angry at the owner's actions in relation to the planning, formation and announcement of the European Super League," said the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) at an emergency fans forum meeting on Friday.
United owner Joel Glazer, whose family owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, eventually apologized for his actions after the league disbanded, but the damage was already done.
Sunday morning, a large group of fans broke fencing around the stadium and were able to invade the pitch. There were no initial reports of injuries
Manchester United was bought by the Glazer family in a leveraged takeover for $1.1 billion in 2005, which did not win them many fans locally.
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