Sir Jim Ratcliffe ‘Cancels £40,000 donation to Man United Legends’

Manchester United, under the ambitious and somewhat totalitarian cost-cutting strategies of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS colleagues, have continued to clamp down on the club’s expenditure by cancelling a charity donation for club legends. The 72-year-old embarked upon a root-and-branch financial review after taking a quarter stake in the club earlier this year.

The club made approximately 250 redundancies over the summer, and earlier this month, hundreds of fans gathered outside Old Trafford to protest the decision to increase matchday ticket prices. As reported by The Sun, billionaire Ratcliffe has continued this budget-tightening approach by reducing funding for a charity this week.

United had been donating £40,000 annually to a non-profit incentive aimed at assisting former players, but there are concerns it may soon cease to operate. The charity currently supports around 300 ex-players, including Red Devils legends like Bryan Robson, Brian Kidd, and Dennis Irwin, helping those who played during a time before football became a massive financial industry.

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Since becoming United’s minority shareholder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been wielding a heavy scythe. Just last month, the club’s debt ballooned to £714m, and in this new era, now 10 months in, there is no room for sentimentality. If this wasn’t clear from his decision to relieve Sir Alex Ferguson of his ambassadorial duties, then the next chapter is surely the final nail in the coffin of clinging to nostalgia.

The Association of Former Manchester United Players, founded in 1985 to support players who didn’t earn the enormous salaries of today’s stars, now faces a complete funding withdrawal. This apparent lack of respect for the club’s history has been heavily criticised.

Trustee Jim Elms, who played for United’s youth and reserve sides, has condemned the latest decision. The 84-year-old told the Daily Mail:

Elms had a phone call with United’s CEO Omar Berrada, adding: “It didn’t go too well. Omar was non-committal. He’s going to meet us again in January but he said he couldn’t see it changing. He didn’t seem to think that we were a necessity.”

On the pitch, United have struggled this season, with Boxing Day’s 2-0 defeat to struggling Wolves marking their eighth Premier League loss of the campaign. With only 22 points from their first 18 matches, the 20-time top-flight champions find themselves closer to the relegation zone than the top four. United will be back in action on Monday night, facing a visit from Eddie Howe’s Newcastle at Old Trafford.