Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has taken aim at Sir Jim Ratcliffe, saying he would not have joined the club with him in charge.
Ratcliffe has come under fire in recent days after claiming the country is “on the slide” because of immigration.
Former United frontman Cantona is the next to hit out at the club’s co-owner, saying the “greatest players come from different waves of immigration”.
When asked by Red Devils fan Pete Boyle on social media if he would sign for the club under Ratcliffe, the Frenchman said: “No, of course not.
“You know what I think about all of this, with this kind of politics, and I cannot understand that someone like this can say something like this when he’s one of the owners of the club.
“Football is a very popular sport. Football is made – all the greatest players come from different waves of immigration.
“Everywhere, in France, in England, everywhere.
“In France for instance, the greatest players in France, they all come from different waves of immigration.”
Eric Cantona has taken aim at Sir Jim Ratcliffe
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Cantona joins a list of growing critics, including Labour MPs, after Ratcliffe also blamed excessive taxation and a ballooning welfare bill as the main drivers of the nation’s decline.
Sir Jim suggested overtaxing the wealthy would lead to an exodus, saying: “If you tax everybody to death, they’re all going to leave.”
Labour’s chair, Bridget Phillipson, criticised Ratcliffe’s perspective, telling the BBC: “I do think you lose the moral high ground in the argument you make, Jim Ratcliffe, that is, by making these kinds of pronouncements while choosing to make decisions, that he is within his rights to make, to become a tax exile.
“And of course, he was also someone, as I understand it, who was a big supporter of Brexit.”
Cantona said: ‘All the greatest players come from different waves of immigration’
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It is not the first time Ratcliffe has sparked controversy with his comments about immigration and the welfare system.
In February, the United minority owner claimed the UK had been “colonised” by migrants while discussing the number of people receiving benefits.
“You can’t have an economy with nine million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” he said at the time.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has come under fire after saying the UK is ‘on the slide’ because of immigration
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PA“I mean, the UK has been colonised. It’s costing too much money.”
Ratcliffe later apologised for “offending some people” after backlash over his choice of words.
He has also criticised previous Conservative leaders for failing to reduce immigration following Britain’s departure from the European Union.
