Sir Jim Ratcliffe co-owner of Manchester United has ordered employees back into their offices as he continues to overhaul the club’s performance both on and off the pitch. The British billionaire has set about transforming the football club’s fortunes since completing a £1bn partial takeover of the Premier League side in February 2024. However, the 71-year-old has also been scrutinizing how the club is run behind the scenes. Ratcliffe is also now pushing for non-football employees to return to their offices in Manchester & London on a full-time basis – mirroring the same ruling Ratcliffe has previously handed to employees at his petrochemicals firm INEOS.

Manchester united owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe bans remote work for club staff

 Sir Jim Ratcliffe a billionaire co-owner of Manchester United, has told staff he’s banning working from home after key metrics were missed at one of his companies. In an all-hands video call last week, Ratcliffe told staff they’d need to start coming into the office or “seek alternative employment,” according to The Guardian. Ratcliffe, the 103rd richest person on earth, bought a 27.7% stake in the soccer club in February, and his company Ineos took over the management of football operations. Ratcliffe told Manchester United employees that traffic dropped 20% after one of his companies trialed work-from-home Fridays.

Ratcliffe ‘angry’ at Man Utd stars over leaks with co-owner ‘not amused’ by one player in particular

Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been angered by the leaks emerging from the Premier League club in recent months, according to reports. The Red Devils have had a season to forget so far with Erik ten Hag’s side finishing bottom of their Champions League group to crash out of Europe, while they are currently seventh in the Premier League with six matches remaining. There have been rumours of unrest in the camp at times this season with the Jadon Sancho saga the most high profile of them all, while there has also been some ill-discipline.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe The billionaire new part-owner of Manchester United and how he made his fortune

It is a prospect supporters of Manchester United and Manchester City will be hoping to avoid this weekend en route to a really fun-looking FA Cup final, a game shot through with delicious subplots and swooping story arcs that will, as ever, be taking place in the London borough of Brent, 200 miles south of Manchester, and venue already for both semi-finals.

This is a fairly easy journey when the dots align. On every other occasion, which is quite a few of them, it can be hellish. And no doubt at some point, perhaps during the vomit-squelching journey home, thoughts will turn to some version of the words of Sir Jim Ratcliffe during his unveiling interviews at Manchester United in February.

“In particular the IT department which frankly was a disgrace and the dressing rooms of the U18 and U21 were not much better.”

He added the standards at the club “would not come close” to what was expected at INEOS – “and we are a chemical company,” he quipped. “It’s a small thing in many ways but unless an organization has standards and ­discipline it will not succeed.

“I would be grateful in future if we adopt the proper standards of housekeeping everywhere,” the billionaire reportedly said.

“It reflects poorly on the club if we have visitors, young player parents, new players and the media and they see we don’t care enough to keep things shipshape.”

About the Author

John Juma began his journey as a sports writer at a young age, fueled by a deep love for sports and a desire to share their insights with others. It does not matter what sport he is talking about; he tends to be an expert in it. He is known for the professionalism, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence.

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