Sir Jim Ratcliffe has sparked fury following a “tone-deaf” interview in which he justified his extreme cost-cutting at Manchester United.
The prominent Brexiteer has made a number of unpopular decisions since arriving at the club since he acquired a 25 per cent stake in the club just over a year ago.
This includes moves such as reducing Christmas bonus gifts, cutting free lunches for staff and scrapping donations to charities for ex-players, all for the sake of a few thousand pounds.
Now, in a new interview with The Overlap, Sir Jim has tried to justify all of the penny-pinching.
Ratcliffe was challenged by Gary Neville over the scrapping of free lunches for staff, with the former United player saying he would have found it “difficult” to accept during his time at the club.
Responding, Ratcliffe said the club has to deal with the fact it was losing money, which he labelled a “big problem” in comparison to free lunches.
He went on to argue that most people never get free lunches at work, using this as justification for scrapping them at the club.
The reaction to the interview has been overwhelmingly negative, with some pointing out that whilst things like free lunches and charitable donations are being scrapped, player wages have soared.
One person wrote: “Here billionaire Ratcliffe pontificates how 95% of people in the UK (himself included) don’t get a “free lunch”, comes minutes after he reveals player wages have increased by £100m in 3 years to £250m/year. Beyond infuriating & sickening.”
Here billionaire Ratcliffe pontificates how 95% of people in the UK (himself included) don’t get a “free lunch”, comes minutes after he reveals player wages have increased by £100m in 3 years to £250m/year.
No pushback at all from @GNev2.
Beyond infuriating & sickening. pic.twitter.com/L1TGgR2xqc
— Nima Tavallaey Roodsari (@NimaTavRood) March 10, 2025
Others labelled the interview “tone-deaf” and “horrendous.”
Jim Ratcliffe justifying scrapping free lunches for staff to save 40k a year while United players rake in over 200k a week and all while the Glazers take 250mill out the club is the most tone deaf thing I've ever heard.
What an absolute clown. 🤡 pic.twitter.com/qqbqmEoF2t
— Football Hub (@FootbalIhub) March 11, 2025
I just find that Jim Ratcliffe interview horrendous! The man is sitting there justifying taking free meals from working class people due to club finances, while standing by his fella shareholders taking hundreds of millions in dividends! PR suicide that
— Stephen Joyce (@sajoyce90) March 10, 2025
Related: The curse of Jim Ratcliffe: Why INEOS could spell trouble for Manchester United