Sir Jim Ratcliffe sends damning email to staff as INEOS boss threatens to ‘cancel Christmas’

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has sent a damning email to Manchester United staff.

After months of speculation, it was confirmed back in February that Ratcliffe and his INEOS team had become minority owners at the Old Trafford club.

A statement from the club’s official website read: “Manchester United plc (NYSE: MANU), and Trawlers Limited, an entity wholly-owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are pleased to confirm that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has completed his acquisition of 25% of the club’s Class B shares and 25% of the club’s Class A shares, following the satisfaction of all conditions, including approvals from the Football Association and the Premier League.”

Ratcliffe and his INEOS team are set to control the footballing matters of the club, with the Glazers heading up the commercial side.

Now, it has been claimed that Ratcliffe was far from happy when inspecting some of the club’s facilities and sent out a stern email to club staff.

As reported by The Athletic, the 71-year-old sent an email to all United staff to ‘highlight the lack of tidiness in parts that he witnessed of the club’s Old Trafford stadium and Carrington training facilities, describing one area as a ‘disgrace’.’

The area in question was reportedly the club’s IT department. It also claimed that ‘frankly the dressing rooms of U18s and U21s’ were not much better.

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Ratcliffe stated that the standards of cleanliness would not have been accepted at INEOS.

The report also stated: “On Wednesday, it was made clear to club staff that underperformance across an organization at Ineos would lead to treats like Christmas parties not happening, implying this would also be how it may work at United.”

It has been said that some staff were left ‘stunned’ when they received the email and that the initial response by some members ‘was to consider the feedback insulting and over-the-top’.

United are back in Premier League action on Monday night when they take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.