What is the grudge between Manchester United and Leeds United?

The hatred between Manchester United and Leeds is called the "Roses rivalry" in the UK because its roots come from the famous feud between Lancashire and Yorkshire in the 15th century. In the "Wars of the Roses", two families fought to the death for the British throne. The "bloodiest battle in British history" in this war took place near Leeds. At that time, the color of the jersey directly reflected Which family the club belongs to, Leeds is the white rose of Yorkshire, and Manchester United is the red rose of Lancashire. The hatred that evolved from the War of the Roses, not only in football, basically included all sports fields in the UK at that time. (The rose pattern can be seen on the emblems of many English clubs, either red or white)

During the British Industrial Revolution, the British economy developed rapidly, with Leeds focusing on the woolen industry and Manchester focusing on cotton weaving. Later, the price of cotton fabrics became cheaper and cheaper, fully occupying the market of woolen fabrics, which caused textile workers to flee to Manchester. Later, Leeds City built a "Grade I listed Leeds Town Hall". Manchester also built a "Grade I listed Manchester Town Hall" as a counterattack. See Wiki)

In the 1970s, at the peak of British football hooligan activities, Manchester United's radical fan organization Red Army and Leeds' radical fan organization Service Crew created a series of ultra-violent conflicts. Many fans were injured in the confrontation between the two organizations, and to this day (before Leeds was relegated in 2003), the British police will send the highest level of police to maintain security at the stadium when the two teams play.

Everyone should still remember that in the 2000 UEFA Cup, two Leeds fans were stabbed to death in a conflict after the match between Istanbul and Galatasaray. Many Manchester United fans were also very sad after the incident and went to Elland in person. Condolences were expressed at the Road Stadium, and there were even reports of Manchester United fans and Leeds fans hugging each other and crying. Despite this, when the two teams returned to the pitch, everything returned to a very deep state of hostility, in order to revenge the Leeds fans. After the unbearable slogans and adapted songs after the Munich air disaster, some radical Manchester United fans put up slogans such as "MUFC Istanbul Reds" and "Galatasaray Reds" after the tragedy in 2000. As with Liverpool, the respective air crashes only heightened the hostility between the two clubs.

In 2001, Leeds United, known as the "Young Guards", rushed into the semi-finals of the Champions League. Then the price of all this was a financial crisis, and they had to sell off their stars, and finally in the 2003-04 season Downgrade. When talking about Leeds United and Manchester United, we have to mention Alan Smith, the former hero of Elland Road. He once passionately kissed the Leeds United crest. He once vowed not to leave Leeds even if they were relegated. He once said in an interview that he would never join Manchester United. Alan Smith moved to Manchester United after being relegated in 2004. This angered all the Leeds fans and called him a Judas. On the other hand, Manchester United fans warmly welcomed him to Old Trafford and admired him for joining. The courage of his bitter rivals and quickly became a favorite among Manchester United fans.

Although the two teams have not met since February 2004, the hatred between the two fans still continues. A strong proof is that the fans of both sides are now playing against each other in their own teams. Other teams also sing the songs of the opposition from time to time.