Manchester United issue statement to fans in response to Sir Jim Ratcliffe question, ‘This is not sustainable’

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Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was called out during a recent fans forum amid rising ticket prices.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have been in charge of the club for one year, with their investment announced on December 24, 2023.

It has not been smooth sailing, with Dan Ashworth hired and fired as sporting director in recent months, and a head coach change made amid a dire start to the season.

But the most unpopular decision made has been in regard to rising ticket prices at Old Trafford, and this was topic of debate during a recent fan forum.

Manchester United respond to ticket price criticism

Manchester United have released the minutes of the latest fan forum, which took place on December 16, hosted by chief operating officer Collette Roche.

And one particularly heated question took aim at Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, asking if he was failing to deliver on pledges made when he took over the club.

Below is the full question and response from the unnamed supporter, and Manchester United’s statement.

Question: “There was a lot of talk by Jim Ratcliffe, Gary Neville etc. about ‘putting the Manchester back in Manchester United’. Those from Manchester know about the history of how our city was built up. Manchester is a community, and this statement originally sounded very promising.

“However, we’ve seemed to be taking more of the ‘Manchester’ out of the club. Pricing out and making it difficult for many locals to go to games, especially those with kids or teenagers in general. I feel there are more aspirations like a London club or an American football team. Is it the case that Jim Ratcliffe therefore A. Lied with this statement B. Doesn’t know what he’s doing C. Simply doesn’t care about loyal fans?“

Answer: “Our club has been loss-making for successive years. This is not a sustainable position, and we are taking action to reduce our costs and generate greater income. To get to where we need to be requires making difficult decisions.

“We do not take these decisions lightly, but we know they will benefit the long-term interests of Manchester United. This has included a significant reduction in staff numbers as we begin to operate in a leaner and more agile way and, to support revenues this season, we took some limited short-term measures by increasing the price of General Admission tickets at our remaining Premier League matches – apart from the visits of Manchester City and Arsenal – at Old Trafford.

“We are proud to have one of the most generous concession ticket schemes in the Premier League, both in terms of prices and the number of discounts offered. 97% of tickets for the remaining Premier League matches this season have been sold with these discounted price points applied so this policy will affect a small number of fans but go some way to supporting the club operate more sustainably.

“Longer-term, we need to find a balance between maximising revenues to keep the club economically sustainable and compliant with financial fair play rules while ensuring that tickets are priced at a level that keeps the stadium full and accessible to our fans.”

Manchester United fans bearing brunt of poor decisions

Ineos are making tough decisions at all levels to try to get Manchester United back on a better financial footing, to comply with PSR, and to simply become sustainable.

The Glazers should not get off the hook for this. It is their shambolic running of the club from top to bottom over the past two decades that has left Ineos needing to make cut-backs.

Ineos have ambitions plans to potentially build a brand new stadium, which clearly won’t pay for itself. A potentially larger capacity could compress ticket prices, while leading to greater income across the board.

In the meantime, Manchester United fans have been left increasingly disenfranchised by the path to get there. For too long, fans have been treated as customers, and a way to make money.

And this accentuates the complaints put forward in the fan forum. Rather than being brought closer to the club, supporters are feeling less of a connection, at a club which is stripping back, making staff redundant, and delivering a poor product on the pitch too.

United’s stance is that if the current situation carried on unchecked, it would lead to financial disaster – but the painful solution has left supporters fearing they are being priced out.