Beckham insists Red Knights campaign 'not his business'
David Beckham says mooted Red Knights takeover bid of Manchester United is 'not his business'
Thursday, 11, Mar 2010 05:56
By Matthew Champion.
David Beckham has denied supporting an anti-Glazer family takeover of Manchester United despite draping himself in the movement's colours at Old Trafford last night.
The former England captain returned to Old Trafford as an opposing player for the first time last night since leaving United seven years ago as his AC Milan side lost 4-0 on the night and 7-2 on aggregate in the Champions League.
But Beckham stole the back pages from Wayne Rooney, whose brace took him to 30 goals for the season, as he accepted a green and gold scarf from a supporter before heading down the tunnel.
Green and gold - the colours of Newton Heath, as Manchester United were known at the start of last century - have been adopted by the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) as they campaign to oust the Glazer family from the club.
They are backing a mooted takeover bid by a group of economist-fans known as the Red Knights.
Both groups claim that the Glazers are crippling the club with debt.
But Beckham, 34, said after the match he was not supporting an anti-Glazer movement, despite cementing himself as a United icon by wearing the scarf.
"I'm a Manchester United fan. When I saw the scarf I put it round my neck, it's the old colours of United," he said.
"To be honest, it's not my business. I'm a United fan and I support the club, I always will. It's nothing to do with me how it's run. That's to do with other people. I support the team. I will always support the team."
Beckham was given a truly rousing reception at Old Trafford last week, coming on as a second-half substitute to chants of "Fergie, sign him up" and "There's only one David Beckham".
The MUST campaign now has more than 128,000 members and Beckham's gesture last night proved a distraction from a rumoured protest to boycott the first ten minutes of last night's match that failed to materialise.
The Red Knights group, headed by Goldman Sachs chief economist, former board member and friend of Sir Alex Ferguson Jim O'Neill, is gathering momentum, however, reportedly signing up Japanese investment bank Nomura to examine a potential takeover.