Sir Alex Ferguson at Wembley
Sir Alex Ferguson stopped Sir Jim Ratcliffe from making a PR mistake
Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly had to step in to ensure that the family of Manchester United legend Sir Matt Busby kept seats in Old Trafford amid unpopular changes under the INEOS hierarchy.
Busby is a legendary figure at United, having managed the club between 1945 and 1969, winning 13 major trophies. He passed away in 1994, but his family have had complimentary season tickets at Old Trafford ever since.
The family have sat in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and had access to a lounge, with the club trying to maintain a connection to their past. However, the change of ownership to INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe in February led to a breakdown in communication over the summer over their tickets.
The Daily Mail reports that Ferguson felt he needed to reach out to the new chief executive Omar Berrada to ensure that the Busby family retained season tickets. He was successful, with United finding them different seats in the same stand.
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The move ensured that INEOS did not score a PR own goal, although they have done so on several other occasions this year. Ferguson himself is no stranger to the ruthless edge of the new hierarchy, having lost his lucrative club ambassador role in the restructure implemented by Ratcliffe.
The petrochemicals billionaire personally met with Ferguson in October to inform him of the decision to cut his £2million-a-year gig. Ratcliffe has been very open in his desire to cut costs at the club since taking sporting control by buying 27.7 per cent of the club for £1.3bn in February.
He has slashed 250 jobs and cancelled the Christmas party as well as other freebies for staff, including tickets for the FA Cup final in May. "Manchester United has become mediocre," he told the United We Stand fanzine last week.
Sir Alex Ferguson is still a regular at Manchester United games
"It is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. If you shy away from the difficult decisions, then nothing much is going to change.”
The Daily Mail reports that former United chairman Martin Edwards, ex-chief executive David Gill and long-serving director Mike Edelson have now been told they can’t visit the dressing room after games. Meanwhile, former players Norman Whiteside and Gordon Hill have been left unhappy after having their season tickets seats moved.
Denise Whiteside took to social media in February to brand United a “disgrace” for their treatment of her husband, claiming they had been moved in order to accommodate more executive seating inside the stadium – something the club denied.
Ratcliffe has also been criticised after raising the price of tickets to £66. "We need to find a balance – and you can't be popular all the time either,” he said in response. “Here, we are talking about 3 per cent of the tickets. I don't think it makes sense for a Manchester United ticket to cost less than a ticket to see Fulham."
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