Protests against the owners of West Ham United were dramatically ramped up today when Hammers United chartered a plane to fly over Pirelli Stadium during the Hammersâ FA Cup victory against Burton Albion this afternoon.
At precisely the 15-minute mark, as West Ham supporters inside the ground held up red cards to signal their dissatisfaction with the board, the aircraft passed overhead trailing a banner reading:
âSullivan & Brady Out â No More BS.â
The moment was captured on camera by both BBC and TNT Sports, giving the protest huge national exposure.
From Hammers Unitedâs perspective, it was mission accomplished.
The fly-by was timed perfectly to coincide with the coordinated red-card protest in the stands, amplifying the message and ensuring it reached a far wider audience than a traditional banner ever could.
Fans Forced Into Creative Protest
The move comes amid growing frustration among supporters, with recent reports of fans being banned for carrying âboard outâ banners and West Ham Fan TV being moved from their usual filming spot outside the London Stadium.
It increasingly appears those counter-measures have pushed fan groups into more creative forms of protest â and todayâs aerial demonstration suggests theyâre far from done.
With voices being silenced on the ground, Hammers United quite literally took their message to the skies.
And judging by the scale of exposure, itâs hard to argue it didnât work.
Expect more inventive campaigning in the weeks ahead.
Mission accomplished for Hammers United?
What is actually being accomplished other than distracting our players so early in the game? The players focus should be on winning not all the backroom politics. I understand some people dont like Sully and Brady and many of their grievances may be justified but do people seriously believe Sullivan will sell the club just because a plane flys by?
The ONLY way Sullivan sells this club is at a massive profit when we are way more successful than we are now. What is the goal here and what do the protesters feel will actually be accomplished? Rival clubs must love seeing the discontent in the stands as it gives them the advantage in the relegation battle. Why can’t we just have some positivity for a change
Very easy to focus on the here and now, you have to ask yourself why are we in this situation in the first place.
I cannot be bothered to write a long response as itâs been done to death, but a plane flying by for two mins and red cards being held up shouldânt distract the players. Other than the nonsense of not taking your seat until the 15th min I actually think the protests have been very considered.
Not sure where others stand but I would like Brady gone (realistic), and Sully to step back from all footballing matters (realistic) but obviously the last one is a massive caveat because of the person involved and their ego.
The protests have to continue or we will never see any change and weâll continue to bumble from season to season.
I still support the team during the 90mins and get behind every player and the vast majority do the same at games home and away.
And as the team on the pitch were struggling Glen Hoddle in commentary said words to the effect that he thought the fans should try getting behind the team instead.