The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club has issued a statement of no confidence in co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and called for him and the Glazer family to leave the club, following his recent comments about the 'decline of the United Kingdom.'
In an interview in Denmark at the launch of the EU's first carbon capture and storage system, Ratcliffe said: "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. Nobody's tough enough to deal with the benefits problem. But somebody needs to do it."
Supporters' statement details
The supporters' club statement said: "After careful consideration of the current direction of Manchester United, the way the club is being run and recent statements made but Sir Jim Ratcliffe, we wish to issue a statement of no confidence."
The statement highlighted the club's recent form: "This week, Manchester United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup following another defeat at Old Trafford, Days earlier, we lost at home to a Manchester City side reduced to 10 men. We sit 13th in the Premier League with four points from four games."
It added: "As always, the immediate reaction will be to point at the manager. Then the players. Then the coaching staff. But Manchester United supporters have been doing this for more than a decade. Managers have changed. Players have changed. Coaching teams have changed. Executives have changed. The cycle hasn't."
Criticism of ownership
The statement criticised the ownership structure: "At some point, we have to stop looking at the latest person standing in the dugout and start looking at those responsible for the direction of the football club. For years, the Glazer ownership has presided over Manchester United's decline. When Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS arrived, many supporters hoped it would finally signal meaningful change."
It continued: "We were among those who hoped. Instead, our confidence in the ownership structure has continued to erode. Supporters have continued to turn up, travel and spend their money through years of underachievement. And what have they received in return? Higher ticket prices. A stadium allowed to deteriorate. Years of poor decision-making. Vast sums spent without sustained success. And a football team that continues to fall further behind where Manchester United should be."
Comments on immigration and benefits
The statement referenced Ratcliffe's earlier remarks: "Earlier this year, MUMSC publicly challenged Sir Jim Ratcliffe after his comments that the UK had been 'colonised by immigrants.' We condemned those comments then. He subsequently apologised for his choice of language. We hoped a lesson had been learned. Clearly, it has not."
It added: "This week, Sir Jim has again placed immigration and people receiving benefits at the centre 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."
The statement also noted a perceived contradiction: "Sir Jim talks of Britain's 'benefits problem,' yet the UK Government recently committed more than £120m of public money towards supporting an INEOS operation. Sir Jim also chose to move his own tax residence from Britain to Monaco."
It concluded: "After years of decline, broken promises and repeated failure, 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."
