Chris Coleman has hit out at long-distance Manchester United fans and urged them to watch their local clubs instead.
The Fulham boss claimed he did not hear a single Mancunian accent among the visiting supporters when he watched Alex Ferguson’s men in Champions League action against Lille on Tuesday.
And with fans of the Premiership leaders staging a protest against £45 admission fees at Craven Cottage today, Coleman insists United fans from far-flung places would cough up less if they followed local teams.
Coleman said: “The sad thing nowadays is that a lot of people support clubs and live 500 miles away — they don’t support their local teams. I went to Lille v Man United, with my No 2 Steve Kean.
“We could hear about 200 Man United fans and not one Manchester accent.
“Kids don’t seem to want to support Cardiff, Fulham or Scunthorpe or whoever their local team is. They want to see the teams they see most on the TV.
“When I was growing up, as a Swansea boy, watching Swansea City — win, lose or draw it didn’t matter — they were my team.
“Nowadays there is so much coverage that it doesn’t happen so much — the big players are like film stars or pop stars.
“I know the United fans are unhappy that the prices have gone up a little bit. But for Category C matches we are probably the cheapest in the league.”
