SLURRING WORDS
Malcolm Glazer's already slender hopes of winning over Manchester United's
fans look to have suffered potentially irreparable damage after his official
spokesman described as "xenophobic" the supporters who have tried to derail his campaign for power at Old Trafford.
fans look to have suffered potentially irreparable damage after his official
spokesman described as "xenophobic" the supporters who have tried to derail his campaign for power at Old Trafford.
Bob Leffler, who has a 12-year association with the Glazer family, also indicated his clients had not given up on taking control of United despite the vehement opposition they faced.
"The only reason they hate [Glazer] - if they hate him - is xenophobia and fear of the unknown," said Leffler. "It's not logic and our job is to change that, to show that this is a true sportsman who will run your franchise like it should be run and win you championships."
Leffler has been handed the unenviable task of improving Glazer's public image after the London-based PR company Brunswick followed the financiers JP Morgan in ditching the millionaire owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On the face of it, it would seem almost impossible but Leffler is regarded as the best in his business in the United States. Speaking to the Baltimore Sun, he said of the Glazer family: "They know me. They know what I can do."
If Glazer decides to continue his attempt to seize control of England's biggest
club, Leffler said he would conduct a "positive, get-to-know-you campaign" on his behalf.
However, he has already found out the cost of being associated with such a
controversial figure. His company, the Leffler Agency, has been inundated with hoax calls, pizza deliveries, abusive emails and the kind of "guerrilla tactics" that a section of United fans had previously directed at Brunswick. It is understood Leffler has even had to change the restaurant for his firm's Christmas dinner after the original venue was tipped off about the possibility of disruption.
controversial figure. His company, the Leffler Agency, has been inundated with hoax calls, pizza deliveries, abusive emails and the kind of "guerrilla tactics" that a section of United fans had previously directed at Brunswick. It is understood Leffler has even had to change the restaurant for his firm's Christmas dinner after the original venue was tipped off about the possibility of disruption.
That campaign may get worse in light of what Oliver Houston, the spokesman for the influential Shareholders United group, described as "slurs".
"To say we are xenophobic is ridiculous," he said. "Fans groups have never cited Glazer's nationality."