Sport

This rival football club had the best response to a homophobic tweet about Manchester United

Mar 08 2017
Written by Benjamin Butterworth

Yesterday it was announced that Manchester United has teamed up with Stonewall to tackle homophobia.

The club has been applauded almost across the board for its decision, with footballers, fans and LGBT activists celebrating the club’s decision.

The football club says they’ll work the charity “to tackle LGBT issues in sport and society”.

But not everybody was happy, of course – some Tweeters chose to express their backwards opinions.

One user told Manchester United and Stonewall that they would no longer support the club because of the partnership.

The user wrote: “@ManUtd @stonewalluk I’d rather support Bolton Wanderers than a club that endorses immorality without considering the fans”.

This rival football club had the best response to a homophobic tweet about Manchester United

But Bolton Wanderers were having none of it, with a pretty epic shut down of the Tweeter.

The third league club wrote: “We’d rather you didn’t. #TeamStonewall”

The post has now been retweeted some 10,000 times.

This rival football club had the best response to a homophobic tweet about Manchester United

GOAL.

After joining in with Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign last year, Man U – which is worth £2.2 billion, the third-most in the world – moved to cement its relationship with the charity and the LGBT community.

The partnership will see United’s ground play host to Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces Summit in May, with sports leaders gathering at Old Trafford to gain skills and knowledge for LGBT activism.

Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive of Stonewall, said: “Manchester United’s support means we can reach millions of football fans both here and around the world, to encourage them to do their part in making all people feel welcome in sport.

“It’s crucial for organisations like Manchester United to show they not only welcome LGBT people, but are active in leading the change.

“At the moment, many LGBT people want to take part in sport, either as players or fans, but the behaviour of a minority can make them feel unsafe, unwelcome or unable to be themselves.

“There’s so much work left to do to ensure that all LGBT people feel able to participate in sport, and we hope to see other clubs take Manchester United’s lead and join the Rainbow Laces campaign to make this a reality.”

The multitude of homophobic responses to the charity’s Rainbow Laces weekend in November showed how much progress is yet to be made in the game.

Richard Arnold, United’s group managing director, said the club “always looks to be a leader in everything it does,” and was “proud” to formalise the partnership.

“The club has an ongoing commitment to equality across all areas and with 659 million followers around the world, it is our responsibility to show support and recognition to everybody who loves this football club,” he continued.

“We have built up a positive working relationship with Stonewall and it’s a great way for us to learn from each other and progress together as we strive for equality for all of our supporters.”

The FA boss Greg Clark has previously been criticised after he said football wasn’t ready for an out gay player, which the Sports Minister heavily criticised.