Wolves Owners Under Fire as Fans Stage Historic Molineux Protest
Crisis at Molineux: Fans Turn on Fosun Leadership
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club finds itself in unprecedented turmoil as supporters staged a protest against owners Fosun during the Manchester United clash, with fan group Old Gold Pack announcing plans to remain outside the stadium for the first 15 minutes as a show of protest against the owners, who have been in charge since 2016. The dramatic demonstration highlighted growing frustration with the Chinese conglomerate’s stewardship of the historic club.
Record-Breaking Poor Performance
The Wanderers sit bottom of the Premier League table with just two points, 13 points adrift of safety, marking one of the worst starts in Premier League history. Fosun International bought the club’s parent company, W.W. (1990) Ltd, from Steve Morgan for a reported £45 million in July 2016, but recent performances have left supporters questioning the ownership group’s commitment to the club’s success.
Multiple fan groups urged fellow supporters to remain outside Molineux for the first quarter-of-an-hour in a protest against Fosun’s ownership, which Old Gold Pack labelled negligent and incompetent, with support from Wolves 1877 Trust, Talking Wolves, Wolves Fancast, and other groups. The coordinated action demonstrated the depth of discontent amongst the fanbase.
Leadership Failings and Fan Frustration
The protest wasn’t merely about poor results on the pitch. Supporters have tried to be heard but felt that Fosun and executive chairman Jeff Shi simply haven’t listened, with leadership failings leaving supporters doubting whether they’re still capable of taking Wolves in the right direction. The major ultimate shareholders of Wolverhampton Wanderers are Chairman of Fosun Group Guo Guangchang and CEO Wang Qunbin, who between them indirectly own the majority shareholding in the club.
Warning signs have appeared over the last few seasons, but the selling of the club’s best players and replacing them with inferior ones has finally come back to haunt the owners. The recruitment strategy has been heavily criticized, particularly following the departures of key players without adequate replacements.
What This Means for Wolves’ Future
Relegation to the Championship now looms large, threatening to undo the progress made since Fosun’s takeover. Fosun are planning on ‘having a good go’ at achieving instant promotion back to the Premier League if Wolves are relegated, according to reports, though fan confidence in the ownership’s ability to deliver remains low.
The situation at Molineux serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing modern football clubs when ownership groups fail to maintain supporter trust. For Wolves fans, the protest represents not division but desperation—a fanbase fighting to preserve the standards and ambition of a club with 148 years of history. Whether Fosun can repair the fractured relationship with supporters whilst steering the team away from relegation remains the critical question facing everyone connected with Wolverhampton Wanderers.