5 Biggest Manchester United Controversies in History

Countless controversies have rocked the Manchester United football club. As one of the biggest and most successful clubs in football history, it’s not uncommon for them to be in the face of tabloids and newspapers talking about their shortcomings. With them having won all of the domestic honors in the English game and being successful internationally, it’s no wonder why many football fans still adore and love them today.

But even with the tons of support from fans, their image isn’t as clean as one would hope. For all the positive headlines they have garnered, they also have their fair share of controversies and scandals that have plagued them over the years. From the simplest ones, like violence, to more complicated ones, like putting a swastika-like logo in their newsletter, we will discuss the biggest controversies in the club’s history. Let’s start.

Jaap Stam’s Autobiography

In 2001, Jaap Stam released an autobiography in which the Man Utd defender described the scenes of Ferguson tapping him from PSV, his former club. The book itself had huge implications for the club and the player. Stam was shipped off to Lazio soon after, with his autobiography ending his career in Man Utd.

The book itself caused a huge controversy, and in the center of it lies the legality of his transfer to Man Utd back in 1998. Ferguson was furious about the publication of the said book and sold Stam later that year for 16.5 million. During the scandal, PSV accused United of violating world football’s rules and spirit.

David Beckham’s Boot to the Head

If you ask when the relationship between David Beckham and Alex Ferguson broke down, people would usually say that it broke down when the latter kicked a boot to David Beckham’s head. The incident occurred in 2003 during his last season in Man Utd, just before his move to Real Madrid.

Beckham ended up with two stitches above his left eye. People were confused, so there was much contention about how this happened. Turns out, it was Beckham who told the press days later. He described the moment as a freak accident blown up out of proportion.

He said he made a couple of mistakes in the game and came into the dressing room, where he and Ferguson talked. He said Ferguson kicked a pile of clothes, and out came his boot, which hit Beckham just above his left eye. Furthermore, he said that even with the accident, there were no hard feelings between him and the coach.

Nazi Email

Man Utd was forced to apologize after sending their fans an email that has a logo that bores a striking similarity to a swastika. The email was a regular issue or a newsletter that Man Utd ran named United Uncovered. Not only that but on the same page, just beside the swastika-like symbol, came the words “New Order.” However, upon further inspection, the swastika-like symbol was a mixture of letters, specifically MUFC, which stands for Manchester United Football Club.

That didn’t quell the outrage the people had, though. This is because not only is the logo very swastika-like, but the phrase “New Order” is also heavily associated with the Nazis. Man Utd apologized and said the offense was not intended to offend anyone. It was so bad that multiple online sports news outlets and sports betting online sites also wrote about the incident.

Eric Cantona Kicking a Fan

It’s perhaps one of the shocking moments in 90s football. Eric Cantona was sent out against Crystal Palace when he lashed out at a rival fan by unleashing a kung fu-style kick aimed at the man’s chest area.

The incident didn’t last long since stewards dragged him away, and he was later sentenced to a two-week prison sentence, later turned down into 120 hours of community service. But that’s not all. Cantona was also fined 20k pounds and was banned from playing football for nine months. He was also stripped of his captaincy from his team. His reason? He claimed that he heard a racist remark from the fan.

Roy Keane’s Horror Tackle

Another violent moment on the pitch came in 2001 when Roy Keane lunged into Alfie Haaland, injuring him severely. There had been a contention between the pair since Keane went down due to an injury, and Erling Haaland was standing over Keane, accusing him of faking injury.

Four years later, with Haaland’s son, Alfie playing for City, Keane raked down his studs on Haaland’s knee, severely injuring it. Later on, Alfie Haaland was forced to retire at the age of 30. Of course, Keane was severely punished with receiving a three-match ban and a fine of 5k pounds. After publishing inflammatory words about the incident, he later got a five-match ban and a 150k pound ban.

Final Words

As popular as Man Utd is, their image isn’t as clean as they want it to be after countless controversies that have plagued them. But even then, many people still support Man Utd, which is, to be fair, one of the biggest and most successful football clubs in football history, which they remain to be nowadays.