Manchester Clubs Badge Controversy: The proposed campaign to remove the historic club badges of Manchester United and Manchester City has sparked a revolt among their fans. The current badges, including a ship, are criticized by Left-wing groups claiming that the symbol represents the slave trade. Follow Premier League LIVE Updates with InsideSport.IN
According to local experts, the ship symbolizes the city’s proud history of free trade. Local MP Graham Stringer has also stated that “Manchester had nothing to do with the slave trade.”
BREAKING 🚨🚨: FFP have urged Manchester City to change their badge following their 9 years of cheating and breaching rules
Manchester City have now been advised to change their badge to this: pic.twitter.com/YUaekW49J0
— 🐐 SZN (@Goatpxced) February 7, 2023
Manchester Clubs Badge Controversy: Man Utd and Man City Fans Outraged Over Proposed Badge Change, Clubs Urged to Abandon Historic Emblems
The campaign to remove the badge was criticized as “woke nonsense” by various individuals, including fans, politicians, and historians. They argue that the three-masted vessel symbolizes Manchester’s global free trade connections and must remain on the team shirts.
Neither club has commented
Despite slavery being abolished in the UK long before the formation of Manchester United or Manchester City, left-wing critics are calling for the removal of the ship symbol from their crests.
![Insidesport](https://www.insidesport.in/wp-content/themes/_isp-v2/assets/src/images/placeholders/default.webp)
The clubs have not commented on the matter, but sources confirmed that they have no intention of altering their crests, as it would involve substantial costs, according to branding experts.
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Member of Parliament Graham Stringer weighs in
Local Labour MP Graham Stringer denounced the “crazy” claim and asserted that it tarnishes the northern city’s proud history of anti-discrimination. He further added that Manchester had no involvement in the slave trade.
“People from the city at the time of the US Civil War in 1861 protested against slavery. This is one of the craziest campaigns I have ever seen.”
Guardian commentator Simon Hattenstone yesterday questioned whether the ship was a symbol of a “crime against humanity”.
![Insidesport](https://www.insidesport.in/wp-content/themes/_isp-v2/assets/src/images/placeholders/default.webp)
According to the MP, the cotton mills in the area prospered due to the cotton picked by slaves in the US. The newspaper has apologized for its past association with the slave trade. In his statement, he mentioned that the ship symbol has no connection to football but instead represents the industry that brought wealth to Manchester.
He further added that the use of such symbols without realizing their origin was a subtle celebration of the product of slavery, which had become embedded in the city’s culture.
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![Insidesport](https://www.insidesport.in/wp-content/themes/_isp-v2/assets/src/images/placeholders/default.webp)
Katherine Fletcher, a Tory MP from Wythenshawe and a Manchester United season ticket holder, stated that she had always viewed the ship logo as a representation of Manchester’s industrial trading legacy. She praised the city’s people for being fair-minded and hospitable.
Historian Jonathan Schofield argued that the ship symbolizes free trade, and the concept behind it is to promote global equality by providing equal business opportunities for everyone.
It is believed that the ship design is derived from Manchester’s coat of arms, which was adopted in 1842, 35 years after the British Empire abolished the slave trade.
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