Kick It Out has expressed disappointment over the FA's decision to only remind Sir Jim Ratcliffe of his responsibilities following his controversial immigration remarks
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United.
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has apologised for his comments.(Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista, Getty Images)
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Kick It Out have expressed their disappointment that the FA has not imposed a "stronger punishment" on Sir Jim Ratcliffe following his controversial remarks about immigration.
The Ineos boss and Manchester United owner faced widespread criticism for comments made during a Sky News interview earlier this month, where he suggested the UK has been "colonised" by immigrants.
During that interview, he stated: "You can't have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in. I mean, the UK has been colonised. It's costing too much money.
"The UK has been colonised by immigrants, really, hasn't it? I mean, the population of the UK was 58 million in 2020, now it's 70 million. That's 12 million people."
Whilst Ratcliffe subsequently apologised if his "choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe," the FA investigated whether the 73-year-old had violated any football regulations.
On Friday, it emerged that Ratcliffe's sanction consisted of being reminded of his responsibilities as a senior figure in English football, with no significant penalties imposed.
In response, Kick It Out have released a statement expressing their disappointment with the FA's handling of the matter.
The organisation, which campaigns against discrimination and champions equality in football, posted on X: "Kick It Out is disappointed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has not been given a stronger sanction for bringing the game into disrepute.
"When speaking in any capacity, he is still a representative and co-owner of Manchester United, which has a global following.
"Unprompted, he brought the club into a TV interview where he was inaccurate with the facts and divisive with his language.
"At a time when various forces are seeking to divide society, football must stand united. We urge those in leadership positions to be mindful of the responsibility they carry."
This follows interim United head coach Michael Carrick addressing Ratcliffe's remarks publicly for the first time on Friday.
He said: "Sir Jim has made a statement, and then the club's made a statement on the back of it so for me to add to that is not my place.
"What I can say is, as I've been around this club many, many years, we always make a huge impact globally.
"We're really proud of the environment and the culture that we've got at the club, and equality and diversity and respect for each other is something that we look to carry through every day."
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