A NEW DAWN AT OLD TRAFFORD?
A multi-billionaire, Brexit patriot whose love of the UK stops just short of him deigning to reside or pay tax in it, Jim Ratcliffe was officially confirmed as a minority stakeholder in Manchester United earlier this week. The 71-year-old owner of the petrochemicals company Ineos has invested around £1.3bn in a 27% share, which we’re told entitles him and his crack team of trusted lieutenants to take charge of day-to-day running of the club. Following two decades of almost total silence from the Glazers, Ratcliffe’s briefing to journalists came as music to the ears of United supporters, not least because he was careful to tell them exactly what they haven’t heard for 19 years. In short, they’re the real owners because he’s just a custodian who hopes to knock both Manchester City and Liverpool off their perches, re-establishing a team of serial trophy-winners who play swashbuckling football that is pleasant on the eye.
