Sir Jim Ratcliffe has stopped funding the AFMUP. (Image: Getty)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has infuriated a Manchester United charity that supports former players by ending funding without informing them as part of ruthless cost cuts. The Association of Former Players was set up in 1985 but is now at risk of folding after losing a £40,000 annual payment from the club.
Ratcliffe has upset plenty of people associated with United through a series of difficult early decisions as he bids to balance the books at Old Trafford.
The 72-year-old tycoon, worth an estimated £23billion, entered business with the Glazer family by splashing £1.3bn for a 27.7 per cent stake in February.
Ratcliffe has since boosted his stake to 28.94 per cent by investing a further £238m in infrastructure and has therefore taken a ruthless approach to his rebuild project.
The INEOS founder has ruffled feathers with numerous calls, including making over 250 employees redundant to streamline operations.
He also oversaw the axing of Sir Alex Ferguson’s £2m-a-year ambassador role, scrapped the remaining workforce’s Christmas party and bonus, and increased the price of unsold tickets to £66, removing concessions.
According to , Ratcliffe’s budget-blasting mission has now hit ex-players, who earned nowhere near the lavish pay packages of today’s mediocre squad.
It’s claimed that the AFMUP has held four events every year where former United stars can meet and mingle with others who signed a professional contract but never debuted for the club.
Man Utd have sanctioned a host of cost cuts. (Image: Getty)
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
However, a charity spokesperson has revealed that two quarterly payments of £10,000 didn’t arrive. Upon contacting the club for answers, the trust learned they had secretly stopped all funding.
Jim Elms, an 84-year-old trustee who played in United’s youth ranks from 1957 to 1960, has urged United to reconsider the “ridiculous” decision.
“We sent a letter to say we’ve not been paid. Nobody came out and told us, so we had to send another letter. That’s when we started hearing things that it was going to be the end of us,” Elms told The Sun.
He added that United chief executive Omar Berrada rang him shortly before Christmas but didn’t offer hope of a U-turn: “It didn’t go too well.
“Omar was non-committal. He’s going to meet us again in January, but he said he couldn’t see it changing. He didn’t seem to think that we were a necessity.
“We’ve run it since 1985. Keeping the old players together. Looking after the ones that couldn’t pay for funerals. I just can’t understand them myself. It’s ridiculous.
“We give away around £10,000 to 20,000 to charity, mostly children’s charities in the local area. We’ve had £20,000 this year but not the rest of it.”
A United source reportedly insisted the club “greatly appreciated” the AFMUP, which boasts Bryan Robson, Alex Stepney, Denis Law, Denis Irwin and David May among its 300 members.
But they admitted: “We are no longer able to make charitable donations to AFMUP while the club is making significant losses.
“Our focus is on putting the club back on a sustainable financial footing so that we are in a position to invest in our priorities of achieving success on the pitch and renewing our infrastructure.”