Sir Jim Ratcliffe has laid off 250 employees at Manchester United and is planning to lay off an additional 100 employees, which has resulted in a number of employees who are dissatisfied with their jobs leaking information to the media.
Omar Berrada, the chief executive officer of Manchester United, has threatened to fire disgruntled employees who are leaking information to the media to their respective outlets.
Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe took over as manager of the club a year ago and began a comprehensive effort to reduce expenses, the club has been undergoing a steady stream of transformations. The billionaire in the petrochemicals industry has already laid off 250 employees, and he is planning to lay off an additional 100 staff members, which will be announced to the staff in a meeting on Monday.
The “mediocre” club that he inherited from the Glazer family requires him to make what he considers to be necessary business moves in order to turn it around. He has not apologised for these moves. However, the manner in which the changes are being implemented has caused a great number of staff members to feel dissatisfied and to be afraid that they might be the next ones to be affected.
This environment, which has been referred to as a “culture of fear” within the organisation, has resulted in a significant portion of the activities that take place behind the scenes at Carrington and Old Trafford becoming known to the general public through the media. As an illustration, United was compelled to confirm the departure of Jackie Kay, who had worked for the club for thirty years, this week after the news of her termination was made public ten days earlier.
Because of this, Berrada, who was hired by INEOS from Manchester City the previous year, has made the decision to send an email to all of the staff that is strongly worded in an effort to put an end to the leaks. The chief executive officer issued a message to employees that was 580 words long and ironically was leaked to The Telegraph within a few days of being sent out. The message warned employees that they could be fired if it was discovered that they had provided information to media outlets.
According to the email sent by Berrada, “Anyone who discloses information outside of the club is breaching their obligations of confidentiality, and we are very clear that this will be considered gross misconduct.” Additional precautions are being taken to prevent any future breaches of confidentiality and to identify any individuals who may be responsible for them. This is being done in order to safeguard the club and its members.
In addition, the email included specifics regarding the methods that journalists could use to make contact with United employees, and it cautioned them that they are “extremely well-versed in gathering information.” INEOS has presided over a miserable first year in control of United, with terrible performances on the pitch and poor decisions off it. This has been a miserable year for United management.
After being hired in November, just a few months after the club made the decision to offer Erik ten Hag a new contract, United is currently ranked fifteenth in the Premier League under the direction of Ruben Amorim. Their most recent financial statements reveal that the dismissal of the Dutchman and the brief tenure of Dan Ashworth as sporting director resulted in a total cost of £14.5 million.
Ratcliffe is unwavering in his determination to implement cuts, which he believes will contribute to a shift in the manner in which his boyhood club operates. His statement was made in December to the United We Stand fanzine. “Manchester United has become mediocre,” he said back then.
“It is widely believed to be among the most prestigious football clubs in the entire world. The choices that we have to make are not only challenging but also unpopular. It is unlikely that you will experience significant change if you avoid making decisions that are challenging.
