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INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe has owned Manchester United for less than six months, but he already finds himself in trouble with fans across the world after a recent comment about the club’s women’s team.
Ratcliffe spoke with Bloomberg in an interview about his plans for the club. During the interview, he was asked about what his plans are for the women’s team.
His answer left a number of fans feeling unsettled.
“Well, they just won the FA Cup,” he began.
“We haven’t gone into that level of detail with the women’s football team yet,” Ratcliffe then said. “We’ve been pretty much focused on how do we resolve the first-team issues, in that environment, and that’s been pretty full-time for the first six months.”
Manchester United Fans Mad At Owner Over Neglect Of Women’s Team
It is the “first team” wording from Ratcliffe that caught the attention of fans.
Both the men’s and women’s teams share the same ownership. They are both Manchester United. And they are both first teams.
But Ratcliffe’s wording seemed to imply that the women’s team, which is playing catch-up in the FA WSL, is somehow lesser than the men’s team.
The fact that Ratcliffe views the men’s team as the “first team” and doesn’t consider the women’s team worthy of that moniker says it all.
Mindset at any football club *should* be that both the men’s and women’s teams are the “first teams”. https://t.co/MOdu49CQXJ
— Nancy Gillen (@Nancy_Gillen) June 24, 2024
Jim Ratcliffe saying they've been focused on the men's first team is not the issue. Admitting the plans are 'TBC' is. Would assume and hope that somebody else is taking the lead and he's not really involved. If he is, then he showed a complete lack of interest.
— Kathryn Batte (@KathrynBatte) June 24, 2024
It's very clear that Jim Ratcliffe has no interest in the women's team. The other "first team" at Manchester United. He would rather be at Old Trafford four hours before kick off than go to Wembley to see the women in a final which they went on to win. It's not TBC, it's CBA. https://t.co/O3Mqt7vkVL
— Marissa (@MCThomas_16) June 24, 2024
Manchester United finished fifth in the FA WSL this past season, a full 20 points off of league-winner Chelsea. The Red Devils women’s club was only founded in 2018. In contrast, the Blues have now won the WSL five consecutive years in a addition to a myriad of other trophies.
Chelsea has focused heavily on attracting and retaining the biggest stars in the women’s game.
That effort has continued under the new ownership of American Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital Group.
However, each of those league titles came under manager Emma Hayes. Hayes left the Blues following the completion of the 2023-24 season to become the manager of the United States Women’s National Team.