Beckham backs kick-off protest

Beckham backs kick-off protest

United fans want to see their favourites on Saturday afternoons

Manchester United stars David Beckham and Ryan Giggs have joined calls from supporters aimed at ending lunch-time kick-offs.

The two players both believe the timing is unfair, particularly after they have played a European game during the week.

Beckham and Giggs' comments are in line with those of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

United and Fulham fans stood together outside Old Trafford to launch a nationwide protest at moves away from the traditional kick-off time of 1500 on a Saturday.

Beckham said: "It's hard to know how we can beat Juventus and then draw with Bolton, with all due respect to them.

"It's not an excuse, but 12 o'clock kick-offs don't help.

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"We're playing a world-class team on the Wednesday and then coming back to play on the Saturday morning.

"It's not easy to eat pasta at nine o'clock in the morning, I know that much! That puts you off quite a lot. That's the thing the players don't like."

Giggs added: "It does affect you, just those few hours. You may not realise it but it does.

"We've played at midday about a dozen times, which is too much. Other teams have had extra time and extra days to recover from games."

United have played 22 home games this season, but only five have been scheduled in a traditional Saturday afternoon slot.

The Independent Manchester United Supporters' Association (IMUSA), together with the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF), plan to take their campaign to Parliament next week.