Why do Manchester United fans wear yellow-green scarves? How the club's first colours became a symbol of protest against US ownership

Recently, adidas’ decision to create a green kit for Manchester United has upset part of the club’s supporters and has surprised most football fans. Green is not the first color that comes to mind when you think of Manchester United but at the same time it is not a stranger to the club’s history. Originally, Manchester United used yellow and green as their main colors combined in vertical stripes. This happened back in 1890 when the team used to play under the name Newton Heath LYR Football Club, the first ever denomination of the club. In 1902, the team's name and colors were altered, paving the way for the present-day Manchester United and their red jerseys. And from that moment on, yellow and green disappeared almost completely from Manchester United’s kits.

David Beckham too, even if unintentionally, took part of these complaints as in March 2010, when he visited for the first time Old Trafford as an opponent playing for AC Milan, he collected a yellow and green scarf that had been thrown from the stands. More recently, the scarves were clearly visible in 2021 when the supporters protested the club’s decision to join the Super League and again at the beginning of last season, fans showed their disappointment towards the team’s bad results by bringing out their yellow and green scarves. To put it another way, green has been a significant part of Manchester United's heritage but in this moment of time it is a color that belongs more to the fans rather than to the ownership, it is the distinctive feature of those who take pride in the club's fortunes.