Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has inspired a crisis of confidence from sections of the club’s fanbase after claiming that the U.K. was “on the slide” due, in part, to what he called “the immigration problem.”
Ratcliffe, who owns more than a quarter of United and has sporting control of the club, is one of Britain’s richest people and was a staunch advocate for the nation to leave the European Union in 2016. The Mancunian petrochemical billionaire found himself in the spotlight back in February after claiming that the U.K. had been “colonized by immigrants” while making factually incorrect statements about the country’s population growth. Ratcliffe subsequently apologized for “offending some people.”
The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club (MUMSC) released a statement of no confidence in Ratcliffe after this new controversy.
“We condemned those comments then,” the MUMSC wrote. “He [Ratcliffe] subsequently apologized for his choice of language. We hoped a lesson had been learned. Clearly, it has not. This week, Sir Jim has again placed immigration and people receiving benefits at the center of his explanation for Britain’s problems, arguing that nobody is ‘tough enough’ to deal with either.
“We find these latest comments deeply disappointing and completely unacceptable.”
What Did Ratcliffe Say About ‘the Immigration Problem’?
During the launch of the European Union’s first carbon capture and storage system on Saturday, Ratcliffe lamented to the BBC about the state of the U.K.
The 73-year-old claimed that Britain had been “a fantastic place” at one time. “We had the greatest empire in the world. We were a great people. We won two world wars.”
“Nobody’s tough enough to deal with the immigration problem,” Ratcliffe claimed. “Nobody’s tough enough to deal with the benefits problem. But somebody needs to do it.”
On top of alienating supporters of the club he co-owns, Ratcliffe also inspired a swipe from the politicians he was criticizing. U.K. minister for women and equalities Bridget Phillipson dismissed the push back from the Monaco resident: “Of course, we want to see a successful economy that involves supporting our businesses to deliver the very best, but you’ll forgive me if I do take with a pinch of salt what someone who is a tax exile has to say about our country.”
Glazers Also Caught in Backlash
The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club pointed out that the team’s “players, staff, stewards, security teams and supporters come from different countries, cultures, ethnicities, religions and backgrounds. ... Manchester United would not be Manchester United without them. That diversity isn’t a weakness of Manchester United. It is part of Manchester United.”
After Ratcliffe’s previous comments, the club put out a pointed statement reiterating a commitment to “equality, diversity and inclusion.”
Ratcliffe may be the most profile of United’s owners, but the majority of the club still remains under the remit of the Glazer family, who have long since been a lightning rod for criticism from fans. MUMSC had hoped that Ratcliffe’s arrival in 2024 “would finally signal meaningful change” after the Glazer family had “presided over Manchester United’s decline,” only to be let down.
The group highlighted “higher ticket prices” and “a stadium allowed to deteriorate,” as well as “a football team that continues to fall further behind where Manchester United should be.” Concerns, naturally, “now extend beyond the pitch.”
“After years of decline, broken promises and repeated failure,” the statement concluded, “Manchester United Muslim Supporters’ Club has lost confidence in the current ownership structure of Manchester United Football Club. Enough is enough. It is time for change. The Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe must go.”
