Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said the criticism he has faced for comments he made about Manchester United’s women’s team are “unfair”, but it is fair and his latest comments display why.
The co-owner said last year that the men’s team were the priority and referred the women’s team as “girls”.
He also did not attend the Women’s FA Cup final, which United won 4-0, as he instead chose to go to a United’s men’s league match. Ratcliffe has now addressed the criticism that came from the incidents.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe: “The criticism is a bit unfair”
The backlash that followed was more than warranted with the women’s team equally deserving of investment and priority.
When trying to address the criticism, Ratcliffe referred to the women’s team as a “smaller issue”.
Here are his comments in full from the BBC: “What I said at the beginning was my main focus is on the men’s team because that, at the end of the day, is what moves the needle at Manchester United. The women’s team is much smaller than the men’s team.
“Of our £650m of income, £640m of that comes from the men’s team and £10m comes from the women’s team. With my business background you tend to focus on the bigger issues before you focus on the smaller issues.
“But the women’s team wear the Manchester United brand, the Manchester United logo, so in that sense they are every bit as important as the men’s team.
“And frankly, they are doing better than the men’s team – they are second in the league and won the FA Cup last season. Marc Skinner is doing a great job as the coach and the new captain Maya [le Tissier] is doing a great job.”
The new comments have infuriated fans.
One wrote: “He must have known the women’s team would come up, probably rehearsed a response and still got it wrong.”
Another said: “The fact that he referred to #MUWomen in that fashion is positive proof that he couldn’t give a f**k about them. If he wanted to praise them he wouldn’t use those terms at all. He’s a t**t, another “investor” who is destroying the club.”
And a third wrote: “Still pathetic”.
And while the financial statistics Ratcliffe has used are understood to be true, how are the women’s team supposed to increase their revenue if they are not also prioritised?
Arsenal are a great example of generating more revenue by treating their women’s team with respect. The club have poured huge efforts into growing the team in recent seasons and it has seen the Emirates sell out and become the team’s main stadium.
United should be striving for the same things.
It is also not just about a monetary investment, it’s about respect and how players are treated.
Former captain Katie Zelem criticised the new ownership for their handling of the women’s team and he was asked about her comments.
Instead of addressing them fully and showing he has taken the criticism onboard from a player who competed for the team for six years and skippered them to their first major trophy, he deflected his answer with the most bizarre response.
When asked if he wanted to address Zelem’s comments, he said: “No, not really. I did ask Maya if she was related to Matt [le Tissier] but the answer was no.”
Another alleged incident has also seen United face criticism recently.
United player Geyse’s agent has alleged the club tried to loan the Brazil star while she was out of the country attending her brother’s funeral.
Her agent Luis Filipe Silva told the Telegraph: “The club has clearly shown that it does not count on Geyse, Man United tried to loan Geyse to a club in the USA, but the player has the right to decide about her future and the club she will play for.”
He added: “It was clear that the club and the coach don’t count on her – the pressure of being in a place where you feel you are not wanted is tremendous. It is a huge psychological pressure. We are sad and want the best for Geyse.”
Therefore the criticism behind the comments Ratcliffe made about the United women’s team – then and now – are more than warranted.
It is not just about monetary investment, the comments the co-owner makes generates and perpetuates the sexist comments online around women’s football “not being as good as men’s”.
Words have weight and the lack of backing at the moment fuels stereotypes and disrespect to the club’s more successful team at this current moment.
The co-owner should view the team equally to the men’s. The players are putting in the same amount of hours and effort to bring results and trophies to the club. They should be entitled to the same amount of priority.
