Ineos boss told 'it's a football club, not a chemical company' with ex-stars left in need
Manchester United’s Man of the Match in the 1968 European Cup final is struggling to pay his medical bills – 12 months on from Sir Jim Ratcliffe cutting funding from an organisation that helps former players in need.
The Association of Former Manchester United Players (AFMUP) was set up in 1985 to raise money for charities and to help out when ex-stars need help. However, it is now facing extinction after Ratcliffe withdrew the club’s annual £40,000 donation.
It was part of Ineos’ wider cost-cutting measures and at the time it was announced, it seemed like just another PR disaster for the United co-owner. One year on, the consequences of Ratcliffe’s cuts are being felt.
John Aston, 78 – who edged George Best to the Man of the Match prize in United’s 1968 triumph – has just had a stroke, remaining in hospital having also contracted sepsis.
“When the old boys found out about John’s illness, they gave £5,000, all they could manage, to help buy a wheelchair,” Aston’s wife Gaynor tells The i Paper.
“United, to their credit, matched it. Otherwise, we are self-funding as we are not eligible for government help. If I want to get him home – better to care for him here – we’re looking at costs of £80 per visit from essential nurses, four times a day. I just don’t know how we’ll manage.”
The AFMUP would ordinarily be able offer more financial support for the Aston family, but the reduced funding has left them in a precarious position.
“We’re determined to bring the AFMUP back from the brink,” filmmaker and committee member John Gubba tells The i Paper.
“We had to cancel two dinners and one golf day last year as a result of the funding being taken away and the future looked bleak. It seems like a small amount but over the years the AFMUP turned £40,000 sponsorship from United into more than £2m – by using it to stage those fundraising dinners and golf days.”
The AFMUP normally hold four events per year, but after losing United’s £40,000 donation, they cancelled two events as they struggled to pay for venues and catering.
The i Paper has been told that despite funding being withdrawn, United’s involvement in the last two AFMUP dinners helped to boost fundraising efforts. Chief executive Omar Berrada attended last April’s event alongside Sir Alex Ferguson, Gary Neville, Andy Cole and Jonny Evans. Director of football Jason Wilcox was at September’s dinner. Raffle prizes were donated for both evenings.
The AFMUP have also helped to support the family of Tony Dunne, another star of the 1968 final, who passed away in 2020. The Dunne family were struggling to cover funeral costs, so the Association stepped in.
Gordon McQueen, who enjoyed a post-playing broadcast career before his recent passing, required assistance with some operations – the AFMUP also contributed to that.
Manchester United 1968 European Cup Winners 1968. Back row L-R Bill Foukles John Aston John Rimmer Alex Stepney Alan Gowling David Herd Centre row David Sadler Tony Dunne Shay Brennan Pat Crerand George Best Francis Burns Jack Crompton trainer Front row Jim Ryan Nobby Stiles Denis Law Sir Matt Busby manager with trophy Bobby Charlton Brian Kidd John Fitzpatrick. (Photo by Albert Cooper & Wally Talbot/Mirror Syndication International/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
Matt Busby’s 1968 European Cup winners (Photo: Getty)
Former United winger and AFMUP committee member Gordon Hill believes the club has a duty to help ex-players.
“The club has the museum and they charge quite a lot for entry,” he tells The i Paper.
“Yet nothing seems to come back to the people who made that history – us.
“We are that history. Without John Aston, United may not have won the European Cup, and millions of fans worldwide wouldn’t have started following the team.
“People who come to see United, especially from overseas, visit the museum. People who come to the city visit the museum. That’s our memorabilia, photos, history. And they make millions off that. Can’t they spare £40,000 for a good cause?
“I don’t dislike him [Ratcliffe]. I agree with him on some things. But he’s still got to realise it’s a football club and not a chemical company. It’s a community club.”
Former youth player, Aaron Burns, still only in his 30s, has joined the AFMUP to help modernise operations. At the organisation’s next self-funded event in April, they are banking on recently retired former stars like Wayne Rooney attending. Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce will be special guests. There are also plans in place to seek out sponsorships and other revenue streams to help the AFMUP rebuild.
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“We refuse to let the association die,” Gubba adds. “If Ratcliffe doesn’t reinstate the funds, we’ll find another way to carry on so we can raise more money to give to charities and to help fund medical treatment and other things for former players.
“Our next dinner at Old Trafford on 16 April definitely goes ahead. We owe it to the former players who started this charity over 40 years ago to carry on. And there are many others like John Aston who will need our help.”
After retiring, Aston – whose father also played for United – did not stay in football and ended up running a pet shop in Derbyshire.
“I’m not going round with the begging bowl, we don’t want that,” Gaynor Aston adds.
“We are just trying to do all we can. John has had his last rites twice, but he is a fighter. I just want him home.”