The Red Devils legend will no longer be an ambassador for the club. A choice validated by the new owners.
The cost hunt by Manchester United and its co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has led the club to terminate the lucrative club ambassador contract signed in 2013 by Alex Ferguson, legendary ex-manager of the «Red Devils»the media outlet The Athletic said on Tuesday.
The Scottish coach, now 82 years old, retired eleven years ago after winning 38 trophies in 26 years on the Manchester United bench (1986-2013), a record without equal in England.
Since then, he has served as the club’s global ambassador in a contract valued, at the time of his signing in October 2013, at £2.16 million annually according to The Athletic, or around £2.6 million. euros according to the current exchange rate.
SEE ALSO – Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary career at Manchester United (1986-2013)
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“In a one-on-one meeting at Old Trafford, INEOS founder and CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe told Ferguson the club was looking to cut costs and was no longer prepared to take on his remunerationwrote the online media.
The matter was settled amicably and Ferguson will end his role at the end of the current sporting season, according to the newspaper, which cites anonymous sources within the club. The team from the northwest of England had still not confirmed or denied the press information as of Tuesday evening.
Cantona denounces “a lack of respect”
On Instagram, the former French glory of «Man Utd»Eric Cantona, castigated a “lack of respect (…) totally scandalous” regarding the historic manager of the Red Devils: “Sir Alex Ferguson should be able to do whatever he wants at the club until he dies”he said in a message where he scratches the current owners.
Manchester United has embarked on a major internal reorganization, with savings plans initiated at all levels of the club. This follows the arrival as a minority shareholder of Jim Ratcliffe, in charge of football operations, in February 2024.
The British billionaire’s teams announced to staff in July the upcoming loss of 250 jobs, according to The Athletic which mentions other cost reductions (end of certain free travel for staff on the sidelines of matches, cancellation of the Christmas party , etc.).
In September, Manchester United announced net losses for the fifth consecutive year, amounting to 113.2 million pounds (133.7 million EUR) for last season, despite record revenues. Despite a spendthrift summer transfer window, «Red Devils» are in 14th place in the Premier League after seven days.
