A leaked WhatsApp conversation between Manchester United owner Joel Glazer and CEO Ed Woodward has revealed the club’s famous Old Trafford Stadium will be renamed ‘The Prawn Bowl’ as a tribute to the owner’s NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs defeated the Green Bay Packers to book their place in the Super Bowl a fortnight ago against the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday.
And should they win a second Super Bowl title, the Glazers have vowed to ‘rebrand’ United’s Old Trafford Stadium in an attempt to make the Manchester club more accessible to an American market.
It’s understood the prawn reference is a nod to United’s rowdy home supporters known for their raucous whispering during games.
The leaked conversation also reveals how the Glazers intend to tear down a statue of United’s famous boss Sir Alex Ferguson and replace it with one of ‘soccer legend’ Jonathan Spector.
Plans have also been drawn up to rename Old Trafford’s beloved Stretford End as ‘The Glazer Shack’.
Perhaps most controversially of all, United’s American owners are proposing to change the road outside Old Trafford from Sir Matt Busby Way to Tim Howard Boulevard.
Jan 2001: General view Sir Matt Busby Way outside Old Trafford, home of Manchester United FC , in Manchester, England. Mandatory Credit: Gary M Prior/Allsport
During one exchange between the pair, Joel Glazer remarked:
‘Old Trafford’s kinda lame for a soccer arena. It needs a kickass American name. Suggestions?’
To which Woodward replies:
‘Manchester Square Garden? The Ed Woodward Coliseum? Prawn Bowl?’
The United bigwigs then go on to discuss the possibility of completing a double-swoop for ageing US soccer duo Marcelo Balboa and Alexi Lalas.
‘What about a cheeky last-minute bid for Balboa and Lalas?’, suggested Woodward.
‘Dude, they like 50 now lol’, replied Glazer.
‘Still better than Jones and Maguire’, replied Woodward.
Following the publication of the WhatsApp conversation, a spokesperson on behalf of the Glazer family made the following statement:
‘You can bet your asses we will continue to follow in the rich traditions of Manchester Red Sox’.
‘We love this franchise more than Chad Lukewick and Axel Foley Zebe’.
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