Sir Jim Ratcliffe condemns treatment of the north and blasts 'I paid my taxes' following Man Utd arrival

Sir Jim Ratcliffe condemns treatment of the north and blasts 'I paid my taxes' following Man Utd arrival

WATCH NOW: Sports round-up as Sir Jim Ratcliffe opens up following Man Utd arrival

Jack Otway

By Jack Otway


Published: 22/02/2024

- 09:08

Updated: 22/02/2024

- 09:19

Sir Jim Ratcliffe condemns treatment of the north and blasts 'I paid my taxes' following Man Utd arrival

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has condemned the north-south divide, with the Manchester United chief also hitting back at those who criticise him for moving to Monte Carlo back in 2020.

The 71-year-old has purchased a 27 per cent stake in the club, with official confirmation of the deal arriving earlier this week.


Ratcliffe was born in Greater Manchester and is eager to bring the glory days back to the club, who have struggled since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013.

And the INEOS chief, speaking after his purchase of a minority stake was completed, has now lashed out at how northerners are treated compared to southerners.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe Man Utd

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has hit out at how northerners are treated in Britain following his arrival at Man Utd

PA

Ratcliffe said: "People in the north pay their taxes like the people in the south pay their taxes.

"But where's the National Stadium for football? It's in the South. Where's the National Stadium for rugby? It’s in the South. Where's the National Stadium for tennis? It’s in the South. Where's the national concert stadium, O2? It's in the South. Where's the Olympic Village? It is in the south.

"So you know all this talk about levelling up and the northern powerhouse and all that, where is the stadium in the north?

"How many Champions Leagues has the north-west won and how many Champions Leagues has London won? And the answer to that is north-west has won 10.

"Liverpool have won more than us. And London's won two.

"Where do you have to go if you get to the semi-final of the FA Cup and you are a northern club? You have to schlep down to London."

He added: "What happened to HS2 which was going to be a substantial amount of investment in the north?

"What happened to that? They've cancelled that and where they're gonna spend all that money?

"They're going to spend it on the rail network in London."

In September 2020, Ratcliffe changed his tax residence from Hamshire to Monte Carlo.

But the British billionaire has hit back at critics of that decision, adding: "I paid my taxes for 65 years in the UK.

"And then when I got to retirement age, I went down to enjoy a bit of sun. I don't have a problem with that, I’m afraid."

Ratcliffe knows United are a shadow of the club they used to be.

They have hired and fired managers since Ferguson's exit over a decade ago, falling further and further behind their rivals as a result.

And Ratcliffe has admitted he'd love to reel in rivals such as Manchester City and Liverpool, who have dominated the domestic game in recent years.

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe Man Utd

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has urged Man Utd fans to be patience following his recent arrival

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"There is nothing I would like better than to knock both of them (City and Liverpool) from their perch," he said.

"They have sensible organisations, great people within the organisations, a good, driven and elite environment that they work in.

"I am very respectful of them but they are still the enemy."

Ratcliffe knows any turnaround can't happen immediately, however.

Plenty of damage has been done at Old Trafford and there's no quick fix. Ratcliffe does, however, feel a three-year plan can spark significant improvement.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe Man Utd

Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to bring the glory days back to Man Utd

PA

He continued: "It's not a 10-year plan. The fans would run out of patience if it was a 10-year plan.

"But it’s certainly a three-year plan to get there. To think that we’re going to be playing football as good as Manchester City played against Real Madrid last year by next season is not sensible.

"And if we give people false expectations, then they will get disappointed.

"So I think the key thing is our trajectory, so that people can see that we’re making progress."

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