Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has doubled down on the men's team being his priority at the club, showing glaring disrespect for the women's side.
Ratcliffe bought a 27.7 per cent stake in United in February 2024. Since that point the men and women's teams have won the same amount of silverware - both winning the FA Cup last season.
However, United's women finished fifth in the 2023/24 Women's Super League table. United's men finished eighth in the Premier League.
Manchester United: Women's team treatment drove players away
In an interview last June he described the men's side as the club's "first team" and that they hadn't gone "into detail" on the women's team yet.
He also chose to attend a Premier League match between United's men and Liverpool instead of the Women's FA Cup final, which United won 4-0 to claim their first major silverware.
Off-pitch issues have seen valuable players leave the club. Goalkeeper Mary Earps, who won the Euros in 2022, and captain Katie Zelem both left in the 2024 summer transfer window.
They have both commented on the lack of professionalism being one of the reasons they departed.
Earps said in her leaving message to fans on social media: "The club is about to undergo a period of transition, and unfortunately I don’t feel it aligns with the timing of where I’m at in my career.
"I think now is the right time to make a change and embark on a new challenge."
While Zelem, who is a lifelong United fan, said during a recent interview with Manchester World: “It has been difficult. You like to think when you’re in a professional women’s team, in the first team, that you are a priority. But unfortunately, at Manchester United over the six years I was there it didn’t always feel like that, whether it was being moved out of facilities or whether you’re struggling for pitches.
“I think a lot of circumstances arise that highlighted they didn’t have the women’s team as a priority. Since INEOS has come in, the reducing budgets… it is usually the women’s team that feel the brunt of that and I think it’s something that needs to be sorted because Manchester United could have one of the best women’s teams in the world."
And instead of reflecting on the backlash he received from a previous interview and seeing high-profile names walk out the door, he has instead reiterated the same message.
Ratcliffe told United We Stand: "There's only so much that you can do and our focus has been on the men's team. If not, you get spread too thinly. We need to sort out the main issue, the men's team.
"The women's team is an opportunity. Women's football is growing really quickly in popularity and size. We need to participate in that. The girls wear a Manchester United badge on their shirt and they're representing the club."
The comments have drawn even more criticism from fans and at FourFourTwo we could not agree more with the supporters.
The disrespect and unprofessionalism shown to the women's team is disgusting and needs to be addressed. United are supposedly one of the biggest clubs in the world but are alienating half of the club to prioritise the men's side.
Isn't football just football? Isn't silverware just silverware? It should be equally valued with both teams wearing the same club badge.
Yes, the men's team brings in more money in terms of sponsors etc but that will continue to be the case if investment is not ploughed into the women's team. Some WSL clubs have highlighted if you put money into the team, the club will reap it back. Arsenal are one of the best in the business with their model.
They have treated their women's side with the utmost respect and given them the same platform as the men's team. This has seen the Emirates sell-out on multiple occasions and stars flock to the team like Daphne van Domselaar and Mariona Caldentey.
Chelsea, too, have seen investment turn into huge success. They have won the last five WSL titles and have signed megastars like Sam Kerr, Mayra Ramirez and Lucy Bronze.
The disrespect shown by Ratcliffe is not only felt by the players but management too. Marc Skinner said after United beat Liverpool 4-0 on Sunday: "I think you have to assess a lot. I think you have to take a lot as a human.
"I think the role of a football manager has changed and it's evolving. You see that in the men's game. Of course we're human, we feel, we have our emotions.
"But we also have a role and a job and a responsibility to my players the fans and the club. I would be lying if I said it's easy, but also I have a job to do and I've got to do that to the best of my ability."
Skinner, however, has told the halfway line he feels "nothing but love" at the club.
Things need to change at United. The players, manager and fans deserve better.
