Gold door stepped at Premier League meeting
Speaking about the attack on Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward home Gold told journalists “I know exactly what Ed’s experienced. I’ve experienced it four or five times myself, what you’ve got to understand is that it is by a minute percentage, a couple of hundred people.”
“In my mind you’ve got a couple of hundred belligerents who want to, metaphorically, burn your house down. And those 200 will gather people who are listening, or walking by and wonder what it is all about.”
On Thursday the Premier League announced that fans who behave in an “unacceptable” manner towards players, supporters, club employees or referees will face a Premier League-wide ban. The Premier League said anyone banned by a single club will be banned by all 20 clubs.
“The league will come together as a unit to protect the likes of Ed and punish those perpetrators. It cannot be tolerated,” said Gold. “Manchester United are a big club, Ed Woodward is a big figure in the game. He cannot be worried about his wife and children.”
Gold added: “The Burnley game was dreadful. My 10-year-old granddaughter said: ‘Grandpa, what do they mean? You’re not a liar, are you grandpa?’ I mean, what do you say to a 10-year-old?”
“The story is that we are liars. That we have taken all the money. That is wrong,” said Gold.
“We are not liars. We have made mistakes. David Sullivan is not a bad person. He wants the club to be successful. Karren Brady works her socks off for the football club. And then you read these terrible things.”
“Do I look like I’m in it for profit?” he said. “I’m the kid who grew up in a life of poverty and used to bunk into West Ham. I have not received a penny in salary or expenses from West Ham in 10 years. I know of owners or chief executives that are earning £3m a year. All my young life, the club was in the old Second Division. We are in the Premier League now. OK, we’ve got a few problems but overall we’re moving upwards. There have been a few difficulties with the stadium but the one we have now holds 60,000.”
“I spoke to a cab driver on Wednesday who spent half an hour saying how he was thrilled with the stadium and how his kids love it. But is he on the television? Is he in the paper? No. All that’s in the paper is the guy that wants to kill me or burn my house down. That’s the problem.”