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It is no secret that British footballers can sometimes get upset and violently so. It is also no secret that Manchester United fans hated the fact that a Yank by the name of Malcom Glazer was buying their team. In fact, with the incidents of Glazer burned in effigy around the time of the 2005 takeover, and rabid fans holding signs that read “You buy, You die.” and “Hate Glazer Love United, ” it isn’t so surprising that Glazer received threatening phone calls, but given the fact that Glazer died of a stroke within a year of purchasing the team, one wonders if the emotional distress could have impacted Glazer’s health.
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Glazer was also the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and paid $1.4 billion for the legendary British team. The FBI has revealed it had 120 documents recounting threatening phone calls and emails against Glazer and his family. A few were random, one-off attacks, but one male caller with a British accent repeatedly called the Buccaneer’s office and said Glazer’s family would be in danger unless he backed down from the bid. Manchester United fans were concerned that American ownership meant the stadium would be sold, ticked prices would be raised and the team would be piled up with debts. However, many fans made peace with the purchase, while some obsessives continued to cause Glazer distress.
Following his death from a stroke at 85, Manchester United is now in the hands of Glazer’s children.
