Portion sizes at Manchester United’s canteen have reportedly reduced as Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ruthless campaign to slash operational costs at the club continues.
Since he completed his partial investment in the club a year ago, Ratcliffe has taken several drastic measures to lower the ballooning cost of running the Red Devils.
Some of the things the British businessman has so far implemented include making hundreds of staff redundant, terminating Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial contract and binning the policy of free travel for staff to attend finals.
Ratcliffe also oversaw a hike in ticket prices, which sparked protests from angry supporters.
A report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that INEOS are considering axing up to 200 more employees in a bid to free up cash for Ruben Amorim to spend on strengthening the squad.
Now, The Telegraph have reported more details of INEOS’ penny-pinching.
According to the newspaper, Ratcliffe has introduced a “zero-based budgeting” policy, in which every single item of expenditure is thoroughly scrutinised to reduce wastage.
James Ducker explains, “The group property services team at Manchester United are accustomed to undertaking mundane jobs. As the hidden heroes responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of Old Trafford, Carrington and the club’s other buildings, there is little they have not seen or heard. More recently, though, their tasks have extended to having to individually count cartons of screws at their disposal to ensure they are not over-ordering.”
“Take, for example, the instance of a big stationery order being placed by a member of staff at the club’s Carrington training ground, only for the Sellotape to be returned because it was not considered a necessity at that time.”
“The squeeze is being felt everywhere. Staff have noted how the portion sizes in the canteen at Old Trafford are smaller now and there is less variety. Yet the apologetic caterers dare not risk bowing to any requests for an extra helping for fear of a rebuke. Bulk orders of vegetables at Carrington require sign-off.”
The Telegraph say that one United employee joked it would be easier to “smuggle drugs” than dispatch a letter due to the scarcity of envelopes and stamps at the club.
Initially, stewards were awarded a £50 weekly bonus but this was scrapped and replaced with a paper certificate complimenting their efforts.
One of Ratcliffe’s first moves as United co-owner was to cancel company credit cards. There was an acceptance that such radical moves would be needed to get the club back on track but the problem is that in some instances, staff have been forced to spend their own money or dip into their savings while carrying out their duties and responsibilities.
Ducker adds that expenses are repaid once a month but depending on when they were incurred, staff can be left out of pocket for weeks at a time.
Even United CEO Omar Berrada hasn’t been spared. The former Manchester City chief’s sign-off is capped at £25,000, with payments above this requiring approval from the ownership group.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
