Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been accused of secretly canceling payments from Manchester United to a charity which supports the club’s former players.
Ratcliffe has overseen a number of controversial cost-cutting measures. A large number of redundancies were followed by increased ticket prices and reductions in the annual staff Christmas gift.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role has also ceasedwhile staff were denied free transport to last season’s FA Cup final and saw their Christmas party cancelled.
Now trustee of the Old People’s Association Manchester United Players (AFMUP) have accused the club of suspending their payments, believed to be £40,000 a year, to the charity, which started in 1985, without even informing the charity.
“We sent a letter to say we haven’t been paid,” Councilman Jim Elms said The Sun. “No one came out and told us, so we had to send another letter. That’s when we started hearing things that it was going to be the end of us.
“Omar (Berrada, CEO) was non-committal. He will meet with us again in January, but he said he didn’t see it changing. He didn’t seem to think we were a necessity.
“We’ve been doing it since 1985. Keeping the old players together. Taking care of the ones who couldn’t pay for the funerals. I don’t understand them myself. It’s ridiculous.
“We give between £10 and £20,000 to charities, mainly children’s charities in the local area. We’ve had £20,000 this year, but not the rest.”
