Latest news with #JimRatcliffe
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Furious Man Utd fans slam new ticket prices as ‘another slap in the face' and warn decision will do ‘enormous harm'
Chief exec Omar Berrada insists fans were consulted over the changes SEEING RED Furious Man Utd fans slam new ticket prices as 'another slap in the face' and warn decision will do 'enormous harm' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FURIOUS Manchester United fans condemned a new ticket-price rise as a "fresh kick in the teeth". The club have introduced a new match categorisation model, charging some members up to £97 for top fixtures - starting with the Premier League opener against Arsenal on August 17. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Manchester United fans have hit back at the club's new pricing structure Credit: Reuters 3 Chief exec Omar Berrada insists supporters were consulted on the changes Credit: Alamy Around 20,000 supporters buying tickets for home matches at Old Trafford through the membership scheme will be affected in some form. Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) claim the club "failed to consult any of the fans' representative bodies on the details of the decision". However, chief executive Omar Berrada insisted they did. A MUST statement read: "After how last season went, we might have hoped that the club would reconsider their plans for this new ticketing model. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL THREE LIONS SHOCK England u21s Germany clash suspended as stadium plunged into darkness "It will see eye-watering price increases for 20,000 supporters per game who buy tickets on a match-by-match basis. "This really is a fresh kick in the teeth for Manchester United fans." Supporters were already at war with the club after Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co. introduced a flat-rate £66 for non-season-ticket holders, with no concessions, mid-season. Berrada admitted this week in an interview with United We Stand that the club had made a mistake. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The opener with the Gunners is one of six Prem games priced between £59 and £97 for members. Fixtures against Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle are also in Category A. Paul Scholes lays into Sir Jim Ratcliffe for 'having the cheek' to introduce 'ridiculous' Man Utd's ticket prices Category B includes 11 league matches, with two games - against Wolves and Sunderland - priced in the Category C band. Cup games are in the lowest Category D band. The changes will see prices increase by up to 50 per cent for fans buying tickets on a match-by-match basis - yet United argue that the £97 applies to less than one per cent of the available tickets. MUST added: "Once again, they have failed to consult any of the fans' representative bodies on the details of the decision. "And, once again, they are making choices against the interests of fans and the club as a whole. "This match categorisation model will do enormous harm." 3 The club insist fan groups were consulted and say ticket prices are lower than those first proposed to the Fan Advisory Board, whom Berrada claims to have engaged with heavily since the £66 decision. But another protest group, The 1958, insisted: "This is yet another slap in the face for loyal fans. "Dialogue with the club is broken, ignored or treated with contempt. 'Fans raise genuine concerns, the club responds with spin and price hikes. "Profit comes first. Supporters, the lifeblood of this club, come last."
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd fan group slams 'kick in the teeth' after Sir Jim Ratcliffe decision
Manchester United supporters have been left furious by ticket price hikes at Old Trafford despite the club's dismal season after the team finished 15th in the Premier League - with Sir Jim Ratcliffe finding himself under huge pressure Manchester United fans have slammed the club for a "fresh kick in the teeth" after new 2025-26 ticket prices were revealed - with some costing as much as £97 on general admission. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has come under fire from supporters for his decision-making at Old Trafford following a series of cost-cutting measures that has seen him slash concessions and raise prices, on top of scrapping free lunches for staff. He has also axed Sir Alex Ferguson from his ambassadorial role amid the club's perilous financial position. It has come during a disastrous season for United after sacking Erik ten Hag and replacing him with Ruben Amorim - though the Portuguese coach failed to arrest the team's slump and ended up finishing 15th. United also lost the Europa League final against Tottenham and will be without European football entirely in the 2025-26 campaign, another major blow to their financial position. Now the Manchester United Supporters Trust have spoken out to condemn United chiefs for their ticket hikes, which they say are "against the interest of fans". "This really is a fresh kick in the teeth for Manchester United fans," the statement read. "When the Club said they were introducing this new model for Members tickets, we urged them to keep the majority of matches at current levels and only apply the highest price category for a small number of the biggest games, and reduced prices for lower demand games. "Once again, they have failed to consult any of the fans representative bodies on the details of the decision, and once again they're making choices against the interests of fans and, we believe, the Club as a whole." Category A tickets, against Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle, will cost between £59 and £97, while Category B - the most common ticket featured across 11 Premier League fixtures - will set fans back between £57 and £86. Category C, meanwhile, is set to cost roughly £37-£60 - but that will only be present for two games, against Sunderland and Wolves. Category D is the cheapest ticket bracket at a range of £32-£52 and will only be used for cup games. United are still set to be active in the transfer window despite their limited transfer funds, having already snapped up Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m, and are also hoping to sign £70m-rated Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. However, the club are hoping to offload expensive stars such as Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho from their wage bill to continue saving as much money as possible and reinvest it into their team. Earlier this year, Ratcliffe revealed United would have gone bust by Christmas without their new cost-cutting regime. "Manchester United would have run out of cash by the end of 2025," he said in an interview with Gary Neville. "Where do you want to spend the money? Do you want to spend it on operating the club or do you want to spend it on the squad? Because if you spend it on the squad, you get better results. "The losses are because the club's just been spending money needlessly. We've got a body language consultant. There's all sorts of stuff we're spending money on that we don't need to be."
Fibre2Fashion
2 days ago
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
INEOS Phenol to permanently close Gladbeck site
INEOS Phenol, the world's largest producer of phenol and acetone, announced its intention to permanently stop production at their site in Gladbeck, Germany. Sky high European energy costs alongside Europe's punitive CO2 tax policy have combined to leave Europe uncompetitive against imported Chinese production and a global oversupply. After carrying out a detailed strategic review, the business intends to permanently exit the Gladbeck site at a date to be confirmed. Europe's lack of competitiveness has already led to the exit of several downstream consumers of phenol and acetone to such an extent that local demand no longer supports the operation of the Gladbeck site which dates from 1954 and requires significant future investment. Commenting, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS said, 'This is the consequence of Europe's total lack of energy competitiveness and the blind devotion to carbon taxation which is leading to a mass deindustrialisation across the continent. Gladbeck is not the first and will definitely not be the last unless the regulators wake up and take action' INEOS Phenol will now enter into consultation with the works council, employees, customers and suppliers to exit the site in a safe, responsible and compliant manner. Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged. INEOS Phenol plans to permanently close its Gladbeck, Germany site due to high energy costs and EU carbon taxes, which have made Europe uncompetitive amid global oversupply and rising imports. The 1954 facility no longer has sufficient local demand. INEOS will consult stakeholders to ensure a safe, compliant exit and remains committed to its global phenol business. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd reveal new ticket prices and are met with furious statement from fans
Manchester United have unveiled a new pricing strategy for their 2025/26 Premier League campaign but the decisions have not gone down well with Red Devils supporters Manchester United supporters have slammed the 'fresh kick in the teeth' as ticket prices continue to rise under Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The Red Devils unveiled a controversial new pricing strategy ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign. Season tickets have increased by around five percent, while a new approach for non-season ticket supporters has been implemented. United have categorised their fixtures for next season, with some more expensive than others. Category D represents the cheapest fixtures at Old Trafford next season but they will only be cup fixtures and are priced between £32 and £52. Only two Premier League fixtures are included in Category C against Wolves and Sunderland, with fans expected to pay between £37 and £60. Fans will be charged between £57 and £86 for the majority of fixtures - 11 Premier League fixtures being labelled as Category B, one of which being Leeds United. Category A fixtures are the most expensive at between £59 and £97, with six league fixtures being assigned that category including versus Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Newcastle and Tottenham. And that new approach has not gone down well with fans. A statement from the Manchester United Supporters' Trust read: "This really is a fresh kick in the teeth for Manchester United fans. When the Club said they were introducing this new model for Members tickets, we urged them to keep the majority of matches at current levels and only apply the highest price category for a small number of the biggest games, and reduced prices for lower demand games. 'Once again, they have failed to consult any of the fans representative bodies on the details of the decision, and once again they're making choices against the interests of fans and, we believe, the Club as a whole." Meanwhile, the club's Fans' Advisory board has also spoken out on the change in ticketing prices and strategy. A statement read: 'We, the Manchester United Fans' Advisory Board, strongly advocated for an across-the-board price freeze for 2025/26 season, one we felt was justified due to the current circumstances. 'While we did not get the freeze we argued for, we are relieved that the club was persuaded to limit the increases to the same percentage rise as recent seasons, and we are pleased they froze prices for our youngest fans. Where will Man United finish in the Premier League next season? Share your thoughts in the comments below 'We also shared our concerns over policy changes and advised against any immediate changes without consultation including those to minimum usage, match categorisation, concessions and relocations. However, we welcome the club's renewed commitment not to make any such future changes without consultation with fans including through MUST, FAB and the Fans' Forum. 'We acknowledge that the senior leadership of the club, including Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Omar Berrada, made themselves available throughout the process and the club were well informed of fans' feelings when making their decisions.' Omar Berrada also said: 'While they did not agree with all the decisions, we would like to thank the members of our FAB for their tough but constructive advice throughout the consultation process. We believe that, taken together, these measures represent a fair and balanced outcome for fans, while generating additional revenues to strengthen the club.' The changes have been too much for legendary former United star Norman Whiteside, who has given up his season ticket a year after the relocation of his seat.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Man Utd scout £20m star from Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Nice as Ruben Amorim demands more physical players in transfer window
But a deal cannot take place until the final day of the transfer window FRENCH FANCY Man Utd scout £20m star from Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Nice as Ruben Amorim demands more physical players in transfer window Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER UNITED have been scouting a holding midfielder from fellow Ineos-owned club Nice as they consider cut-price options. United sent a scout to Sweden's international friendly against Algeria last week to check on the player, who has been tipped to leave the Ligue 1 club this summer. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Manchester Utited are scouting Hicham Boudaou from Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Nice Credit: Getty 4 Ratcliffe's company, Ineos, own 100 per cent of Ligue 1 side Nice Credit: AFP The Red Devils' official went to Friends Arena in Solna to monitor Hicham Boudaoui, according to reports in Algeria. Despite coming off after an hour, with his team trailing 4-0, Boudaoui demonstrated why many in France think he is ready for the Premier League. The 25-year-old won all of his ground duels and looked unruffled when put under pressure inside Algeria's half. He also showed a great range of passing with one excellent switch of play out to the right flank. And he even came close to grabbing a goal with a drilled effort from the corner of the penalty area that flew only a yard or so wide of the far post. Boudaoui is coming off an excellent season in France in which he emerged as one of the best in Ligue 1 in his position. In figures published in April by Datascout, he came out on top among 49 defensive midfielders for sprinting speed, fourth for the number of accelerations and sixth for high-intensity distance covered. Ruben Amorim is desperate to bring players with a more physical profile to the Old Trafford and Boudaoui certainly fits the bill. 4 Join SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from Old Trafford The Red Devils were unable to sign players from Nice last summer because both clubs were set to feature in the Europa League. Sir Jim Ratcliffe agreed not to move any players between the clubs until September 2025 to satisfy Uefa's concerns over multi-club ownership. Man Utd stars 'intimidated' by weight of shirt but can still thrive after leaving like McTominay, says Angel Gomes That means any deal for Boudaoui cannot take place until the final day of the summer transfer window with the deadline for Premier League clubs set for 7pm on September 1. Other Premier League clubs have been sniffing around while reports in France have linked Boudaoui, who has two years left on his contract, with unnamed clubs in Spain and Germany. Nice could demand £20m for the midfielder but transfer funds are likely to be tight at Old Trafford. United have already splurged £62.5m on Matheus Cunha and may now need to sell in order to finance further high-profile transfers.
