When you have worked your way up the academy to Manchester United and signed a professional contract with the club, then you are part of something bigger. Something bigger that takes care of its own. Britain’s richest and United boss, Ratcliffe, has found another post where a few thousand pounds can be cut.
Since 1985, Manchester United has had the Association of Former Manchester United Players (AFMUP). The organization will help and be a support system for players who gave everything for the club, but who never got to play a first-team match.
According to The Sun, Ratcliffe has decided to cut funding for running the organization by around £39,000.
The English newspaper has had a chat with former academy player Jim Elms, who was a player at the club from 1957 to 1960.
“We have run the organization since 1985, where we keep former players together. We look out for each other and help each other. I can’t understand it. It’s ridiculous. We sent them a letter saying that we had not received our payment. No one told us anything, so we sent another letter. After that, we could understand that they no longer want to pay us,” says 84-year-old Elms.
Ratcliffe and INEOS have been pushing hard to cut costs they consider unnecessary, causing strong reactions from captain Bruno Fernandes when club staff had to pay for the trip to the FA Cup final themselves. A few thousand saved by not supporting the Association of Former Manchester United Players should unfortunately not come as a shock.
