Red Bull already set to worry Leeds United fans after announcement
Former Leeds United midfielder David Norris believes supporters at Elland Road are entitled to be apprehensive about the lucrative partnership deal with Red Bull.
Leeds secured the deal with the global soft drinks giant following the club’s play-off final agony which leaves them without Premier League football next season and facing several key player exits.
Despite reassurance from the board on the restricted level of autonomy of Red Bull, several concerns have arisen due to the controversial “rebranding” impact on Leipzig and Salzburg.
“Fans have a right to be worried based on what they’ve seen before,” Norris exclusively told MOT Leeds News.
“With Leeds being the massive club they are, I don’t think anyone would want to see it change too drastically. The chairman has come out and said nothing too much would change and it would only help the club financially, but you don’t entirely know what these corporations plan to do.
“They’ll possibly be a little bit worried, but let’s just hope the chairman is right – that [Red Bull] will help out financially but won’t affect the tradition of the club.”
Marathe has reassured Leeds United fans
Responding swiftly to Leeds United supporters’ natural and anticipated reservations on the high-profile partnership, chairman Paraag Marathe has made it clear that Red Bull will not affect the club’s outward traditions or that of Elland Road.
The assurances will ease the nerves of the fanbase to an extent, but many will keep their guard up after the trials and tribulations the club has been put through in recent years by various hierarchies.
It was stated that Red Bull would not have a seat on the board [Phil Hay, The Athletic, 30 May], and would not have any access to the naming rights of the club or stadium – neither would the company have any input on kit colours, though they will feature as the front-of-shirt sponsor from the 2024-25 season.
Knowing their role as a cog in the Leeds United machine would make Red Bull a stupendous force for good in West Yorkshire.
The club will aim for a non-negotiable promotion next term, though a conglomerate of Red Bull’s size – and current power in football, and Formula One for that matter – may not know how to “know its place”, so to speak, in the long-term. This notion is the basis of Leeds fans’ apprehension at the news.
In other Leeds news, Liverpool’s latest stance on Crysencio Summerville has been revealed.
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