Sir Jim Ratcliffe shed light on his tenure at Manchester United in an in-person interview with Gary Neville, with things becoming heated as the topic of cost cuts.
From axing hundreds of Man United staff members to cutting portion sizes at the club’s canteen, INEOS have been on a mission to reduce the club’s spending as a means of balancing the books.
But while this may be an understandable measure aimed at improving United’s financial position, some of the more questionable cost cuts in have enraged United fans.
One particularly controversial decision was the suspension of funding to the Association of Former Manchester United Players. Not only does the organisation provide assistance to players who never earned the wealth that many modern players enjoy, but the £40,000 a year that was given to the association is minor when considering the full context of the club’s financial position.
Understandably, Neville ripped into Ratcliffe over this questionable decision during their interview on The Overlap.
“£40,000 was taken away from the Former Players’ Association. Now that’s not the players that played under Sir Alex Ferguson or even in the last ten years,” Neville stated. “They’re players from the 1960s and 70s. I look at that and I’m a little bit annoyed with the club.”
“I just look at that and I think it’s £40,000 for players who are giving a lot back to, sort of, the local community, they’re obviously big supporters of United. Why not look at that 40,000 and put Harry Maguire and Bruno in a dinner, sell 1,000 tickets for 30, 40, 50 quid, raise the money through a dinner, maybe do a raffle, an auction, give the ex-players their money and do it in a way whereby you’re not looking like it’s a cruel decision, which it is,” Neville explained.
“Why would that decision be made?” he finally asked Ratcliffe.
“Well, nobody suggested that,” Ratcliffe revealed. “Because I would have supported that.”
Clearly lost for words, Neville broke Ratcliffe’s silence by once again suggesting ways to fund the association: “Why don’t the current players put a grand each in for them? These guys have been putting so much time into the club over so many years. Why can’t we reinstate that?”
“Well, maybe we can. I don’t know. I can have a look at it,” Ratcliffe softly replied. “Gary, I’m not aware of that level of detail to be honest with you.”
To hear Neville stand up for former players who did not rake in massive wealth is encouraging for fans. Of course, Ratcliffe’s openness to exploring the funding issue is refreshing as well, especially given the Glazers’ general refusal to answer to fans in interviews such as this.
Still, Ratcliffe will need to act fast if he hopes to regain favour with United fans, particularly as other cost-cutting measures are put in place.
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
