Manchester United has ended a soap opera that lasted thirteen months. The sale of a 25% stake to Jim Ratcliffe and his chemical company INEOS, a months-long entrenched “strategic review” process that flirted with Qatar’s entry into the Premier League and gave a glimmer of hope to Red Devils fans, who had been dreaming of Glazer’s departure after ten years of failure .

Because it is the main key to the arrival of INEOS, United have grown weary of failure, especially its fans, who have not tasted the Premier League since Alex Ferguson left ten years ago and the Champions League since 2008. They have directed protests against the Glazers. , along with the usual “Glazer Out”, in practically every game.

They accuse the American family of using the club for their own enrichment while increasing the team’s net debt – currently around 700 million – and of neglecting the sports field, with unproductive signings and illogical contracts.

Photo: AFP

Ratcliffe was given the keys to the club by the sports organization and it will be decided who, apart from the youth, will take over the helm of the men’s and women’s teams.

The INEOS investment, which is estimated at 300 million by the end of 2024, in addition to improving the team will also have to improve the facilities, with a focus on Old Trafford, a stadium that is starting to become outdated compared to its competitors.; Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have all undertaken renovations to their grounds in the last ten years.

A few weeks ago, a video went viral showing parts of the stadium’s roof falling, which is a true reflection of the state of the stadium, which Gary Neville, a club legend, defined as a “ruin”. Despite the ground’s history and being the largest capacity ground in the Premier League, it has not been chosen to host the next Euro Cup in 2028, while its neighbor at the Etihad Stadium has.

New construction or redevelopment will be another item on the agenda at future Ratcliffe meetings. (D)