Something had to be done. Ratcliffe and the INEOS team moved in in 2024 as the new part-owner and boss of the sporting part of United. With rules for profitable and economical club operations that must be observed, the level of expenses and income is strongly linked to the sport. This summer, the United management reported 250 employees as redundant, Sir Alex Feguson was also cut from the salary budget in his ambassadorial role. Then came the attempt to increase ticket prices, which was met with massive protests. Now comes the next round in the clean-up rush.
It is part of the story that Manchester United have had wage costs and the number of employees who run the club like few other Premier League clubs. It is also part of the story that United has been and will be an integral part of the local community. It will therefore hit hard when the 250 dismissed employees are joined by a new group of job seekers from Man United.
According to The Athletic, Sir Jim Ratcliffe intends to sack another 100 employees at the club. In the previous round, it reportedly cost £10 million to fire the 250 employees, but in the long term this will trim the budget.
The English media reports that none of the employees at Manchester United have been told if they are one of the group of 100 who will be removed from the salary budget.
This summer, there were United players who admitted it was hard to see United employees who were a natural part of everyday life at the club disappear. This round is not going to create less anxiety and distraction.
We really hope Ratcliffe and the gang have taken a look up from the excel sheet to look at the consequences before they press “go!”.
With Ratcliffe’s Ten Hag blunder, which cost the club around £10.4 million in compensation to Ten Hag and up to £20 million to buy out Ruben Amorim, Britain’s richest are unlikely to be very popular with the local community with new layoffs.
