Manchester United Front Office’s ‘Petty Decision’ Angers Staff Ahead of Europa League Final
Manchester United needs to win one game – the Europa League final against Tottenham, and the side will have a trophy, a place in the next season’s UEFA Champions League and some smiles for the United faithful. The team on the field has been terrific (in the UEL at least), staying undefeated and will seek as much support from the crowd to record a win over their Premier League rivals. Obviously, Man United staff will want to be part of that cheering. But that might not be the case.
Club co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has refused to hand out free Europa League final Tickets to the staff of the club as he continues his drastic cost-cutting measures. Seems a bit ‘petty’ for a club that is the second most valuable in the world. In the past, Man United have paid for flights, accommodation and food for staff for the last three Champions League finals the club have appeared in.
It also hurts more when teams like Inter Milan and PSG are publicly declaring that they will take care of the whole staff travelling to the Champions League final, including a free ticket. PSG president Nasser Al Khelaìfi announced that all of the club’s approximately 600 employees will travel to Germany with all expenses paid to attend the final against Inter Milan. The Italian finalists will also give Tickets to all staff,.
Manchester United have been allocated around 15,000 tickets for the final, but unlike fellow finalists Tottenham, employees at the club will not be receiving complimentary tickets.
Also Read: How Much Do Teams Earn For Winning The Europa League.
Another Cost-Cutting Plan From Manchester United
Manchester United will square up against Tottenham Hotspur on the 21st of May at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao after radically dispatching Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate. According to the Daily Mail, instead of providing match tickets, United are planning to hold a screening of the game. They have also chosen to host a screening for the majority of staff closer to home, with the invite open to plus-ones.
Employees will be given 2 free drinks, but this will not extend to plus ones or Guests. Tottenham, on the other hand, have chosen to offer a complimentary ticket to every full-time employee should they want to travel to Bilbao, which could be up to 700 individuals.
Daily Mail further mentions that employees of Man United believe Sir Jim Ratcliffe is prioritising the club fans, and they want to make as many tickets available to the stadium goers as possible over the staff who have been at the end of some major cost-cutting since the Billionaire took charge.
Before the arrival of Ineos, Manchester United had a workforce of 1140, but after 2 rounds of redundancy, 450 staff lost their jobs. Last year, employees of the club were shocked to realise the yearly Christmas party was also cancelled in moves to save money.
For the Europa League final in 2017, the club had an allocation of just 10,000. As a result, they planned an event in Manchester at which drinks would have been free, with former Take That singer Gary Barlow due to provide entertainment. The event was later cancelled after the Manchester Arena terror attack.
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