Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Man United owner’s involvement in controversial political video sparks response | OneFootball

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The stance of Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has emerged after he was used as part of a controversial political promotional video.

Controversy after controversy

Ratcliffe has seldom been far from controversy since assuming operational control of Manchester United in February 2024.

In February, he found himself in hot water after claiming that the UK was being “colonised by immigrants.” Then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharply criticised Ratcliffe, who was subsequently forced to issue a public apology.

United and Michael Carrick also distanced themselves from his remarks, stressing that they were proud of the club’s diversity and inclusivity.

Ratcliffe was at the centre of another storm earlier this month, claiming the UK was in decline and taking a fresh swipe at immigrants. He lashed out at the public’s poor attitude towards wealthy individuals like himself, blaming it for driving them to more favourable tax regimes overseas.

In response to those comments, the Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club issued a vote of no confidence in the INEOS chairman, declaring that it was time for him to go.

Fresh controversy

On Saturday, controversial politician and leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, posted a promotional video that was headlined by Ratcliffe’s “colonised by immigrants” statement.

Farage, a long-term ally of President Donald Trump, has made immigration a cornerstone of his movement. Manchester United fans have not held back in expressing their displeasure at Ratcliffe’s presence in the video, and The Athletic has now disclosed what the British businessman really thinks about the backlash.

According to the newspaper, “INEOS, the petrochemical firm which Ratcliffe controls, confirmed to The Athletic that the British billionaire, 73, had no knowledge of the video and did not give permission for his words to be used in it.”

“The company did not confirm whether they had asked Reform to take down the video.”

“When contacted by The Athletic, Reform said that, as the clip in question was taken from an interview Ratcliffe did with Sky News, which was publicly broadcast, they did not need permission from INEOS to use the footage.”

“The party also said that as far as they are aware, neither INEOS nor Ratcliffe has complained, and it has no plans to remove or alter the video.”

Another football personality who features in the video is former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp.

While Ratcliffe insists that he did not grant permission for his inclusion in the video, it cannot be overlooked that no efforts have been made to have him removed from it.