Manchester United have ended Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role, saving the club more than £2m a year. The decision comes as part of a cost-cutting drive led by new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, which also saw 250 staff made redundant to save £10m annually.
Ferguson, who turns 83 in December, had been paid close to £200,000 a month since his retirement in 2013 for ambassadorial duties. The club’s move to strip him of this income has drawn criticism from former players, including Eric Cantona, who called it “scandalous” and said Ferguson should be able to do whatever he wants at the club until he dies.
However, the article questions the ethics of paying a retired manager such a sum while low-paid staff were being laid off. Ferguson, a former trade unionist, accepted the cut without fuss. The author notes that staff were informed of their redundancies in a 15-minute meeting, averaging savings of £40,000 per head.
The piece also recalls a 2008 incident where Ferguson reacted angrily to a journalist who had contributed to a biography critical of his early media demands. Ferguson’s legacy at Old Trafford remains assured, but the revelations over his earnings have left a sour taste, especially in light of the club’s austerity measures.
