Man Utd 'angry' at Youtuber IShowSpeed attending FA Cup final party after invites refused

YouTube star IShowSpeed might have enjoyed Manchester United’s post-match FA Cup final celebrations but his involvement has reportedly infuriated club staff. The rapper, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr, was at Wembley to watch his beloved Red Devils record a shock 2-1 in over derby rivals Manchester City last Saturday.

And he later joined the players and coaches at the Marriott Hotel in Mayfair, posting pictures on his social media of him posing with the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, and even manager Erik ten Hag.

The 19-year-old was there courtesy of an invite from Garnacho, despite the fact the majority of the club’s non-playing staff were not permitted to attend.

And according to the Daily Mail, employees were left angered by his presence, especially given they had been the victims of cost-cutting by Sir Jim Ratcliffe for the fine. Previous benefits for Wembley finals included a free ticket, travel laid-on and food, alongside the post-match party invite.

However, for Saturday’s triumph, whilst staff were handed one complimentary ticker they were asked to pay £20 for a coach to the stadium, with food purchased at their own expense. The discontent was exacerbated on Tuesday, with all employees receiving an e-mail from Ratcliffe inviting them to take voluntary redundancy ahead of the workforce being cut.

Not that Speed appeared concerned. Alongside a number of images from the party, he wrote “Dream come true United for life” on his Instagram post, with the likes of Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo replying.

The teenager getting himself into the final in the first place will also have raised eyebrows, given he is not a season ticket holder with the club. Seats in the United section were balloted and sold exclusively to those who had not only purchased a season ticket for the 2023/24 campaign, but who had attended a minimum of five cup games during the campaign.

The American, whose social media following exceeds 20 million, is not a season ticket holder at Old Trafford. However, he has been regularly seen at games, acquiring tickets via sponsors and VIP invites.

And he was anything but quiet in his seat as United claimed the trophy for the 13th time in their history. He was seen rowing with a fellow fan during the second half, and received abuse from City supporters as he left the stadium.

Much of Speed’s online content in the past two years has been based around football, although in November 2022, Sky Sports announced that they would stop featuring him on their platform after the emergence of past misogynist comments. They also removed all content featuring him.

He also caused controversy for his behaviour during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he streamed live fan reaction. He was forced to apologise after one of his videos showed him making fun of a fan who did not speak English.