Man Utd: Glazers increase Ratcliffe role as Berrada integrity questioned in staff call to ‘trigger anxiety’

Sir Jim Ratclife and Ineos’ influence will be wider than first reported at Manchester United, the club staff were told on Wednesday.
Interim chief executive Patrick Steward led the all-staff meeting and informed employees that the Glazer family has agreed to involve Ratcliffe’s team in business decisions having recognised their direct impact on football operations, first thought to be the only area of the club the new stakeholders had control of with their 25 per cent holding.
‘Dividing up affairs entirely is now felt to be unrealistic’, The Athletic reports, with Stewart said to have promised staff cultural change across the club, which is now committed to instiling a “football first culture”, with decicions made according to “what’s best for football”. The report adds:
‘While it is the case that the primary focus and responsibility of INEOS will be to run football operations, it is now clear that the Glazer family are prepared to provide a broader license and latitude for Ratcliffe’s company to drive change beyond the club’s training base at Carrington in order to bring football success to the club. INEOS feel that the club’s commercial possibilities will be hugely increased by on-field success, and this is also underpinned by the decision to poach Omar Berrada from Manchester City, as his background is in football operations, while also having a commercial pedigree.’
Sources on the call ‘interpeted the tone as one of change’, which ‘triggered some anxiety’ following reports Ratcliffe was keen on trimming the staff at the club.
Berrada’s decision to swap Manchester City for United at the end of the season was ‘framed as a postive emblem of change’, but Stewart faced awkward questions from staff members, who asked about the incoming CEO’s history relating to City’s 115 FFP charges, as well as the corruption charges against Barcelona in his time with the Catalans.
‘Stewart assured staff that United had performed the requisite due diligence, but did not go into any great detail, other than to say United are confident in the integrity and quality of their hire’, the report claims.
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