Manchester United Ltd.
MANU
Consumer Discretionary
1
exclusion reason
1 theme
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. But it is subject to change as our understanding of the facts evolves.
Manchester United plc faces institutional accountability for sexual abuse and player misconduct. Billy Watts, a caretaker and kit man at the club's Cliff training ground in the 1980s, is alleged to have sexually and physically abused youth players under the club's care. Watts was subject to internal disciplinary action in 1989 and moved away from youth players, but civil claims were filed against the club in the High Court in 2025 after Watts' death in 2009. The Sheldon Review, an independent inquiry into historic sexual abuse in football, documented the allegations.
The club also faced scrutiny over player conduct. Forward Mason Greenwood was arrested in January 2022 and charged with attempted rape, assault, and controlling and coercive behavior; charges were dropped in February 2023, and Greenwood was sold to Marseille in 2024. Winger Antony was accused of domestic abuse by a former partner in 2023, with police investigations in both Sao Paulo and Manchester. The club granted Antony extended leave but faced criticism for its handling of both cases relative to its stated safeguarding commitments.
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Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
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