Manchester United have issued a statement that insists they are a ‘inclusive and welcoming club’ in light of co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s inflammatory immigration comments.
On Wednesday, Ratcliffe claimed the UK has been ‘colonised by immigrants’ – with his remarks causing a backlash.
As revealed exclusively by Daily Mail Sport, senior Manchester United officials are ‘mortified’ by the 73-year-old’s views, amid fears over the impact on players and plans for a new £2billion stadium.
And on Thursday afternoon, the Red Devils released their own statement opposed to Ratcliffe, albeit without directly mentioning him.
‘Manchester United prides itself on being an inclusive and welcoming club’ their statement begins.
‘Our diverse group of players, staff and global community of supporters, reflect the history and heritage of Manchester; a city that anyone can call home.
‘Since launching All Red All Equal in 2016, we have embedded equality, diversity and inclusion into everything we do.
‘We remain deeply committed to the principles and spirit of that campaign. They are reflected in our policies but also in our culture and are reinforced by our holding of the Premier League’s Advanced Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard.
‘Over the course of this season, we have participated in events and initiatives at our men’s and women’s games marking mental health, LGBTQ+ inclusion, No Room for Racism, violence against women and girls and homophobic chanting.
‘We have also celebrated our supporters’ clubs’ events, including our Disabled Supporters’ Association’s Christmas Party and our Jewish Supporters’ Club’s Chanukah event.
‘In the weeks and months ahead, we will be supporting further initiatives in these areas.
‘This all sits alongside the incredible work which the Manchester United Foundation undertakes in and around Manchester on a daily basis.
‘Manchester United reflects the unity and resilience of all the communities we are so privileged to represent.
‘We will continue to represent our people, our city and our fans with purpose and pride.’
Speaking at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, the Monaco-based Ratcliffe told Sky News: ‘You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.
‘I mean, the UK has been colonized by immigrants, really, hasn’t it? It’s costing too much money.’
Ratcliffe suggested that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is too nice to address the tough issues and said he has met with Reform leader Nigel Farage, describing him as ‘an intelligent man’ with ‘good intentions’.
Comparing the situation in the country to running United, Ratcliffe added: ‘I’ve seen quite a bit of this at the football club. If you do difficult things, which we felt that we had to do at Manchester United… we felt like they were the right things to do. But you do become very unpopular for a while.
‘I’ve been very unpopular at Manchester United because we’ve made lots of changes. But for the better, in my view – and I think we’re beginning to see some evidence in the football club that that’s beginning to pay off.
‘But you’ve got all the same issues with the country. If you really want to deal with the major issues of immigration, with people opting to take benefits rather than working for a living, then you’re going to have to do some things which are unpopular, and show some courage.’
Protest group The ’58 branded Ratcliffe ‘a total embarrassment’ and disputed the 73-year-old’s claims that his unpopular decisions at Old Trafford are paying off.
The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust also criticised the divisive nature of Ratcliffe’s comments, while anti-racism charity Kick It Out called them ‘disgraceful’.
The Manchester United Muslim Supporters’ Club accused Ratcliffe of fuelling far-right hate speech as well as risking ‘legitimising prejudice and deepening division’.
The Ineos billionaire did apologise on Thursday morning, but it came with a caveat.
‘I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe and caused concern but it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth,’ he said.
