Norwich City Carrow Road protests to go ahead as planned.

Norwich City fans will continue with their scheduled matchday protests despite the club’s decision to abandon its highly contentious stadium plans.

Protests against the club’s hierarchy will take place at City’s next home game against Hull City on Saturday (November 1), with demonstrations outside the directors’ entrance before the game and a tennis ball protest midway through the first half.

Fans will stage two protests at Carrow Road on Saturday (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images)

Fans are upset with recent results and the club’s direction, as the free-falling Canaries lie in the relegation zone after losing their previous five league games.

While manager Liam Manning and sporting director Ben Knapper face criticism for their on-field performances, majority shareholder Mark Attanasio and executive director Zoe Webber have come under fire for the club’s ambitions to renovate Carrow Road.

The ideas included transferring almost 3,000 season ticket holders from the lower River End to make room for away fans.

Norwich City sporting director Ben Knapper and executive director Zoe Webber (Image: Matt Wilkinson)

However, despite the club pausing the initiative on Wednesday (October 29), with Attanasio breaking the news during an hour-long phone call with Canaries fans on BBC Radio Norfolk, Saturday’s demonstrations will go as planned.

Fans will gather at Carrow Road’s City Stand directors’ door at 11 a.m. in an attempt to get their concerns heard by the club’s senior management.

Mark Attanasio, Norwich City’s majority shareholder (Image: Adam Harvey/Newsquest)

The One City Strong 1902 supporters’ organisation is organising the demonstration, claiming that unless changes are made, the team is “sleepwalking into League One” under Zoe Webber, Ben Knapper, and Liam Manning’s leadership. “We keep our seats; now it is time to take them away from theirs,” the group said in a statement following the club’s announcement to postpone its stadium plans. “The owner had to fly halfway around the world to begin to correct the inadequacies of people below him; it speaks volumes.

“Decisions are being taken by those advising him, with personnel who continue to demonstrate bad judgement and a lack of accountability, failing both the owner and his followers.

“We realise that the stadium building plans have been postponed, not cancelled, and we welcome his participation.

However, great news should not overshadow the equally significant concerns we confront. “Our immediate priority must now focus on performances on the pitch.”

Manager Liam Manning and sporting director Ben Knapper are both under pressure (Image: Sonya Duncan/Newsquest)

A tennis ball protest has also been arranged by a supporters’ group called the 1902 Group, who are encouraging spectators to throw tennis balls onto the pitch when the clock strikes 19.02 – the club’s founding year.

The group had already planned a sit-in protest at the end of the match, which it claimed was “no longer loud enough”. Earlier last month, Celtic fans mounted a similar protest against the club’s owners, tossing balls and oranges into the ground.

The demonstration caused a three-minute delay in the Scottish champions’ away match against Dundee as a clean-up was carried out.

“We urge every supporter to participate in this and take immediate action to help get our club back,” the 1902 Group stated in a statement. “We will not settle for League One football and we will not have Carrow Road torn apart for profit.”

More than 3,000 season ticket holders in the lower River End were set to be moved under the initial plans (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

According to Norwich City’s ground restrictions, throwing any object on the ground is a violation of the Football Offences Act of 1991.

According to the legislation, throwing missiles at or towards the playing area is unlawful, and it can result in penalties and stadium bans.

During Wednesday’s radio phone-in with supporters, the club’s American owner, Mark Attanasio, stated that he had no plans to fire Liam Manning or Ben Knapper.

He also revealed that the stadium reconstruction, which involved establishing a fan zone, new corporate seats and evicting season ticket holders from the lower River End to relocate away fans into that portion of the stadium, has been halted. “We’re going to have the informed sessions with our supporters that we should’ve had,” he indicated.

“There was a race to get something done, which forced a quick meeting which wasn’t as detailed as supporters deserved.” The club has announced that spectators in the lower River End and South Stand will keep their seats next season.

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