It took 23 hours but Manchester United did distance themselves from Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s rhetoric on immigration.
Without naming the part-owner, a statement insisting they “remain deeply committed” to “equality, diversity and inclusion” was effectively a public rebuke.
Remember, Sir Jim only owns just under 30% of the club, despite the investment gaining control of football operations two years ago and the INEOS billionaire becoming the face of decision-making.
The majority owners are still the six Glazer siblings, whose grandparents were Lithuanian Jewish immigrants to the United States.
We haven’t heard from them directly, but the statement issued on the club website is as close as we can get to detecting their view of Sir Jim’s complaint in a Sky News interview that “the UK has been colonised by immigrants”.
United highlighted how Manchester is a city “anyone can call home”, extolling how the club boasts a “diverse group of players, staff and global community of supporters”.
Sir Jim’s own apology statement made no mention of diversity and inclusion.
Only 20 words were spent apologising – “I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe and caused concern” – another 90 words were used to reassert the need for curbs on immigration.
That is a concern shared by three leading parties – Reform, Labour and the Conservatives – but it is demonising immigrants, claiming they have colonised the country, that has proved so inflammatory.
We don’t know if Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has accepted Sir Jim’s apology – and how it…
