He is the “King”. Whoever transformed a club into a crisis into a winning machine. Éric Cantona is not just a former Manchester United player, he is an icon, an almost religious figure for Old Trafford supporters. Its inheritance is immense, its name is a symbol. However, today, the club has made a decision that is similar to real humiliation, a pure and simple erasure of its name. A decision which also affects two other club legends and which resonates like betrayal.
Cantona Banni: Manchester United turns its back on its King
The cleaver fell. As revealed by Manchester Evening Newsit is now impossible for a supporter to buy a Manchester United jersey and make it floac in the name of “cantona”. The club simply blocked the impression of its name, as well as those of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. The reason is not sporty, it is purely administrative. The club no longer holds image rights and registered trademarks associated with these three players. Clearly, from a legal point of view, the name “cantona” no longer belongs to Manchester United.
This news is a shock. Seeing the name of such a legend banned from official stores for a simple license question is difficult to swallow. This is a sign of an era when marketing and legal take precedence over history and respect. For thousands of fans who wanted to afford a legend, the disappointment is immense.
Manchester United prohibits flocking the name of cantona
A habit of irreverence?
This is not the first time that the club seems to forget what the King represents. Recently, the new management had not hesitated to compare the recruit Matheus Cunha in Cantona, even before he played a single match. A comparison deemed “indecent” by the purists, who see it as the symptom of a club losing bearings, ready to overlap its own myths to create an artificial enthusiasm.
Between hazardous comparisons and the prohibition of flocking, the heritage of Eric Cantona seems mistreated. The club which owes so much to the French gives the impression of no longer knowing how to honor its memory. For supporters, and also for the French who saw in him a pioneer, the observation is bitter. The “King” may be eternal in hearts, but it has become a simple copyright problem for club accountants. Sad time.
