Manchester United: FA to look into Sir Jim Ratcliffe ‘colonised by immigrants’ comments | OneFootball

FA to look at whether Manchester United co-owner has brought game into disrepute

The FA are looking into comments by Sir Jim Ratcliffe in which the Manchester United co-owner said the UK has been “colonised by immigrants”.

As Ratcliffe is a director at United, the comments he made come under FA jurisdiction and are being looked into.

Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest men, had said: “You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in.”

Those comments were criticised in both the political and the sporting worlds, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling the remarks “offensive and wrong”.

Ratcliffe has lived primarily in the tax haven of Monaco since changing his primary residence in 2020. He purchased a 27.7 per cent stake in United in February 2024.

In a statement on Thursday, Ratcliffe said: “I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the UK and Europe, but it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth.

“My comments were made while answering questions about UK policy at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, where I was discussing the importance of economic growth, jobs, skills and manufacturing in the UK.

“My intention was to stress that governments must manage migration alongside investment in skills, industry and jobs so that long-term prosperity is shared by everyone. It is critical that we maintain an open debate on the challenges facing the UK.”

The FA declined to comment on the matter when approached.