Manchester United’s Muslim Supporters Club has declared it no longer has confidence in co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe or the Glazer family, demanding both leave the football club. The statement, published on Saturday, was prompted by Ratcliffe’s latest BBC interview in which he blamed immigration and the welfare system for Britain’s problems.
The petrochemical billionaire, who acquired a 27.7% stake in United in 2024, made the remarks during the BBC’s “Big Boss” interview. It is the second time this year that his views on immigration have provoked a backlash from the supporters’ group.
MUMSC said in its statement: “After careful consideration of the current direction of Manchester United, the way the club is being run and recent statements made by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, we wish to issue a statement of no confidence.”
Ratcliffe, 73, made the comments during an interview in Denmark at the launch of the EU’s first carbon capture and storage system. He told the BBC: “We had the greatest empire in the world. We were a great people. We won two world wars. We’re good, honest folk. But unfortunately, at the moment, I think the UK is on the slide. It’s quite difficult to see how we arrest it.”
He went on to say: “Nobody’s tough enough to deal with the immigration problem. Nobody’s tough enough to deal with the benefits problem. But somebody needs to do it.”
The INEOS founder, who backed Leave in the 2016 EU referendum, has been a tax resident of Monaco since 2020. In February, he drew widespread criticism after stating that Britain had been “colonised by immigrants,” later apologising for his choice of words.
MUMSC described Ratcliffe’s latest remarks as “deeply disappointing and completely unacceptable,” noting that the earlier apology had clearly failed to produce any lasting change. “We hoped a lesson had been learned. Clearly, it has not,” the group stated.
The supporters’ club emphasised that United’s identity is inseparable from its diverse community.
“Our players, staff, stewards, security teams and supporters come from different countries, cultures, ethnicities, religions and backgrounds,” the statement read. “That diversity isn’t a weakness of Manchester United. It is part of Manchester United.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a minority owner of Manchester United | GETTYMUMSC also pointed to what it regards as a glaring hypocrisy in Ratcliffe’s rhetoric on welfare dependency. The group noted that the UK Government recently committed over £120 million in public funds to support an INEOS operation, while Ratcliffe himself chose to relocate his tax residency from Britain to Monaco.
United’s dismal form has compounded the frustration. The club entered the weekend languishing in 13th place in the Premier League, having collected just four points from their opening four matches. A midweek 3-2 home loss to Brighton ended their Carabao Cup campaign at the first hurdle.
Days before that, Ruben Amorim’s side fell 1-0 to Manchester City at Old Trafford despite the visitors being reduced to ten men. Supporters unfurled a banner ahead of that derby reading “the way you treat us is a disgrace.”
MUMSC argued the pattern of failure runs far deeper than any individual manager. “Managers have changed. Players have changed. Coaching teams have changed. Executives have changed. The cycle hasn’t,” the statement read.
Rising ticket costs and a crumbling stadium were also cited as evidence that supporters are being asked to pay more while receiving less in return.
The supporters’ club directed its sharpest criticism at the ownership model itself, arguing that the Glazers had presided over years of institutional decline and that Ratcliffe’s arrival with INEOS had failed to deliver the meaningful change many had anticipated.
MUMSC insisted the club’s true custodians are not investors or shareholders. “Manchester United does not belong emotionally to investment funds, shareholders or billionaires,” the statement declared. “It belongs to the generations of supporters who inherited this club from their parents and grandparents and who will one day pass it to their children.”
The group framed its intervention as a matter that transcends any single result or campaign. “This is bigger than one defeat. Bigger than one manager. Bigger than one season. It is about the direction, leadership and identity of Manchester United Football Club.”
Its conclusion was unequivocal: “Enough is enough. It is time for change. The Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe must go.”
