Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have made repeated blunders since taking control of football affairs at Manchester United and club legend Sir Alex Ferguson had to intervene to prevent another
Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly had to intervene to ensure the family of Manchester United legend Sir Matt Busby retained their seats at Old Trafford amid unpopular changes under the INEOS hierarchy.
Busby, a legendary figure at United who managed the club between 1945 and 1969, winning 13 major trophies, died in 1994. His family have enjoyed complimentary season tickets at Old Trafford ever since.
The family have traditionally sat in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and had access to a lounge, with the club striving to maintain a connection to their past. However, the change of ownership to INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe in February led to a breakdown in communication over the summer regarding their tickets.
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According to The Daily Mail, Ferguson felt compelled to reach out to the new chief executive Omar Berrada to ensure the Busby family kept their season tickets. He was successful, with United finding them different seats in the same stand.
This intervention ensured that INEOS did not suffer another PR blunder, after doing so on several occasions this year. Ferguson himself is no stranger to the ruthless edge of the new hierarchy, having lost his lucrative club ambassador role in the restructure implemented by Ratcliffe, reports the Mirror.
The penny-pinching petrochemicals tycoon, who shook hands with Ferguson back in October to deliver the news of chopping his £2million-a-year consultancy role, hasn’t been shy about enforcing a cost-cutting crusade at the club since seizing a sporting command with a £1.3billion slice in February.
After wielding the axe on 250 jobs and scrapping the Christmas shindig alongside other employee perks like FA Cup final tickets, Ratcliffe bemoaned the club’s performance to United We Stand fanzine. He said: “Manchester United has become mediocre.
“It is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. If you shy away from the difficult decisions, then nothing much is going to change.”
Echoing Ratcliffe’s stark new regime, the Daily Mail notes United heavyweights such as former chairman Martin Edwards, previous chief executive David Gill, and veteran director Mike Edelson are now barred from post-match dressing room visits, sparking discontent among hierarchy.
Additionally, ex-players Norman Whiteside and Gordon Hill have been disgruntled by alterations to their seasonal ticket arrangements, suggesting a shift to make way for more lavish executive seats, a claim United rejected.
Denise Whiteside vented her frustrations online this past February, slamming United as a “disgrace” over how they’ve handled her spouse’s seating switch-up.
Ratcliffe has also faced backlash for hiking ticket prices to £66 – claiming fans in Manchester shouldn’t pay less than supporters of Fulham, the club based in one of the most expensive and affluent areas of London, which has been regularly criticised for the cost of its tickets.
Ratcliffe said: “We need to find a balance and you can’t be popular all the time either. Here, we are talking about 3% of the tickets. I don’t think it makes sense for a Manchester United ticket to cost less than a ticket to see Fulham.”
This week United sacked sporting director Dan Ashworth, who was unceremoniously ousted from his position after just five months, after INEOS underwent an extensive arbitration process and paid £3m to secure him from Newcastle.
His departure is another blow for blundering INEOS, who coughed up £21.4million in total to appoint new manager Ruben Amorim and pay off fired boss Erik ten Hag, after inexplicably renewing the Dutchman’s contract in the summer.