Why do people from places like India, Indonesia etc. (and even London!) like Man Utd?

Can't they support their local team?

Manchester United is my local team but why are these Pakistanis and randomers supporting our team which should only have Manc fans!

We want a mixture of foreign players and English ones but that isn't the same for supporters? Support Benglaru FC or something!

One Indian fan even thought Gerrard and Buffon were United legends!

Reply 1

Reality Check

Those 'Pakistanis and randomers' are making Man U the economic powerhouse that it is. And given the importance of economics in football both on and off the pitch, I suggest you don't bite the hand that feeds you.

Reply 2

UWS

What about the fans from Asia who support other English teams (quite a lot of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal fans)? They do exist.

It's not just Man United.

Reply 3

wolfmoon88

Original post by UWS

What about the fans from Asia who support other English teams (quite a lot of Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal fans)? They do exist.

It's not just Man United.

Here is a Chelsea fan from Asia as an example.

Me!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 4

wolfmoon88

Original post by Bombinate

Fair weather fans exist everywhere...

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 5

Josb

By conformism. Asian societies are terribly conformist, you have to be like your neighbours and/or show marks of social status. Having the jersey of Man United is a proof that you're "in" for young guys, like Vuitton bags for women.

Reply 6

username1177050

Because they don't have any match going traditions. When there grandparents landed here at the earliest probs 1958 (Sikhs) then Hindus from Uganda 68-71 the grandparents either started working straight away and didn't bother with following football (despite large numbers living in the old working class areas were the football grounds used to be, including my grandad who lived near coventrys old ground highfield road) or just had it as a side thing but nothing to serious. Their kids therefore didn't have any direction from above like the working class white man would from his dad and grandad and granddad before him who would have been going to matches and live in the same area for generations. Hence they just picked the most successful team, which at the time would probably have been Liverpool. As they never go games or follow it religiously but instead encouraged to study and pursue medicine or wahtever else football is put by the wayside and they sort of follow it from the armchair. Hence, their own children just pick a team and role with it. You often find these are the type of people who never go to games and also tend to live as far away as possible from the club. They even miss matches that are on the tv sometimes lol

Reply 7

sr90

Volunteer Team

People in the Far East don't have any ties to a team so they can switch on a whim to support whoever is winning. Just look at Leicester last season.

United exploited the Asian market long before anyone else did as well, apart from maybe Liverpool.

Reply 8

prazzyjazzy

Original post by Bombinate

Spoiler

Reply 9

ozzyoscy

You don't choose who you support. Telling someone to stop supporting Insert Successful Team and support their hometown is telling someone to choose who they support, the very thing you accuse them of.

Man Utd were a very appealing team and always has been, same as Liverpool. The reason why it's Man Utd that has so many fans in so many other places is because they actually took the time, effort and investment to making themselves seen globally. Perhaps Man Utd should've just done what they're doing now and only spent all that on big name players instead and not worried about building a future? Would that have made them more likeable?

Reply 10

tazarooni89

Original post by Bombinate

People support the team they grew up watching and whose progress and development they've been following. Manchester United happens to be one of those teams that has a lot of coverage around the world, so lots of people grow up with it.

Nowadays, most people can watch a football match on TV from anywhere in the world rather than travelling to the stadium for every game. The big clubs import almost all their players from other cities and even countries. Most of them are owned by foreigners from the US, Russia, Dubai, Qatar, China etc.

What's so "Manchester" about Manchester United these days? Pretty much nothing. Times have moved on, it's as simple as that.

Besides, I doubt the club itself is complaining about all the worldwide interest. They'd actually encourage it.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 11

ozzyoscy

Original post by tazarooni89

What's so "Manchester" about Manchester United these days? Pretty much nothing. Times have moved on, it's as simple as that.

Yes, whenever someone is hypocritically telling someone who to support, having a go at them for supporting Man Utd, Liverpool etc. but not being from there, I ask them where their club's owner, manager and playing squad is from and if they're even from the same country as the team's location, let alone city. Since the person usually supports a relatively bigger club, they're lucky to name a few English players and maybe one youth from the city.

Reply 12

Diego Costa

The only thing Manc about Manchester United is the name. The ground is in Salford, they train in Carrington and most of the players live in Cheshire. The Mancs you talk of should all support Citeh not United by your logic.

Reply 13

difeo

Original post by Diego Costa

The ground is in Trafford

Reply 14

mcjotty

Silly Billy mufc ground is in Trafford but most of the supporters originally came from Salford mostly because of Salfords irish roots and united used to have a heavy Irish Catholic belonging, as in priests would bring the congregations there the first protestant manager was Ron atkinson and that was not until the eighties, all that has well gone and now we welcome everyone to our family