United's Tour de Farce: A Disservice to Fans in Asia

A trophy-less season and a 15th-place finish in the English Premier League might be a painful result, but one could reason that Manchester United had a manager who was hired mid-season for a squad that badly needed a rebuild. But watching young United players hold up their middle fingers at fans and behaving poorly after a shambles of a season?

- Deepanraj Ganesan

That is the real insult, and it has left a bitter taste that their fans—especially those in Asia—should not be made to swallow.

After United's worst season in the English top flight since 1973-74, Ruben Amorim and his squad traveled to Malaysia and Hong Kong for two post-season friendlies which they estimate will generate about £10 million (S$17.4 million).

But during this tour, it was not their performance in these two inconsequential games that was the talking point, but the poor conduct of some players.

Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho were filmed holding up a middle finger on at least two separate occasions and footage on social media appeared to show Garnacho shoving a supporter who was filming him.

While Garnacho has not addressed his behavior publicly, Diallo said in a social media post that he should not have made the gesture, though he added that he had no regrets as someone had allegedly insulted his mother.

There is little in the footage posted online by fans that support his account.

Regardless of what was said, there is no justifying flipping the finger at fans. Especially when the player is in club attire and fans have waited hours in hot, humid conditions to catch a glimpse of him and his teammates.