Ed Woodward resigned from Man Utd in protest of Super League
By Tom Gott
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward resigned from his position after refusing to support the club's desire to join the rebel Super League.
United's American owners, the Glazer family, were among the ringleaders in trying to drum up support for the project, with Joel Glazer sealing a spot as vice-chairman of the Super League before it ultimately collapsed on Tuesday evening.
Woodward, however, had faced a lot of the backlash. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin branded him a 'snake and a liar' for offering his support to the Champions League reform shortly before the Super League unveiling, but according to Sky Sports News, Woodward was genuine with his support.
When it was announced that United were planning to leave the Champions League, Woodward found himself wondering whether he could support the owners' desire to shake up football, and when he decided he could not, he handed in his resignation on Monday, one day before the Super League crumbled.
Yep, you read that right. Woodward was actually the good guy in all this. Mental.
It never looked good for Woodward from the start. The executive was an investment banker for JP Morgan, the American financiers of the competition, before he moved to Old Trafford, so it was immediately assumed that he had played a part in that deal being agreed.
The timing of his resignation did not help either. The news was made public shortly after Chelsea and Manchester City had backed out of the Super League and sent the plans crashing to the ground, seemingly suggesting Woodward was running away from his problems, but that does not appear to be the case.
Instead, Woodward was frustrated with the Glazers' plans to leave the current system so abruptly, particularly given he was always going to take a lot of the blame because of his role as the major decision-maker at Old Trafford.
As a result, he felt his position was untenable and walked away at a time at which he would have believed the Super League was going ahead.
In his parting statement, Woodward wrote: "I desperately wanted the club to win the Premier League during my tenure and I am certain the foundations are in place for us to win it back for our passionate fans."