Eric Cantona has said he would not have joined Manchester United in 1992 if Sir Jim Ratcliffe had been involved in running the club, following the INEOS co-owner’s recent comments about immigration in the UK.
Ratcliffe’s remarks have sparked criticism from sections of the Manchester United fanbase, including the club’s Muslim Supporters’ Club.
Asked by United supporter Pete Boyle whether he would have completed his famous move from Leeds if Ratcliffe had been in charge, Cantona gave a direct answer.
“No. Of course not. You know what I think about all of this, with this kind of politics,” Cantona said. “And I cannot understand that someone like this can say something like this when he’s one of the owners of the club.”
Eric Cantona points to football’s immigrant history
The Frenchman then explained why he believes immigration has played an important role in the development of football, drawing on his own family history.
“Football is a very popular sport. Football is made – all the greatest players come from different waves of immigration. Everywhere, in France, in England, everywhere,” Cantona said.
He highlighted players including Raymond Kopa, whose family came from Poland, and Michel Platini, before discussing his own Spanish heritage.
“In France for instance, the greatest players in France, they all come from different waves of immigration,” Cantona added. “Raymond Kopa, in the fifties, was the son of Polish immigrants who came to France, worked in France, and worked hard in France.”
Cantona also noted that his mother came from Spanish refugees before concluding.
“And then the Italians, Italians like Platini. And then Spanish, like me, my mother came from Spanish refugees. I cannot accept this kind of thing.”
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