MANCHESTER: It’s been a year since one of Britain’s richest men bought into its most famous soccer team and vowed to bring the good times back.
So far, it hasn’t gone to plan for Manchester United or Jim Ratcliffe.
The record 20-time English champion are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, losing vast sums of money every year and facing fan unrest.
Even head coach Ruben Amorim said recently that this might be the worst team in the club’s storied history.
That’s not all on Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS, but it has been a rocky start since he paid $1.3 billion for an initial 25 percent stake in United and assumed control of their soccer operations.
There have been high profile hirings and firings, brutal cost cutting, a hike in ticket prices and new lows on the field for a team that had been in decline for more than a decade before he became minority owner.
While there was triumph in the FA Cup last year, that success has been overshadowed by supporter protests, job losses, unconvincing transfers and humbling defeats.
Bold plans
Ratcliffe said his investment was “just the beginning of our journey to take Manchester United back to the top of English, European and world football.”
Those ambitions feel further away now than they have in decades, with United 15th in the standings and closer to the relegation zone than the top six after a woeful campaign. Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Tottenham was the 12th in the league this season and an eighth under Amorim, who only took charge in November.
Amorim said: “I have a lot of problems, my job is so hard, but I am here to continue my job to the next week with my beliefs.”
Major overhaul
He was one of a number of key hires made as part of Ratcliffe’s overhaul of United’s soccer operations.
Omar Berrada was lured away from Manchester City to become CEO and Dan Ashworth left Newcastle to take up the role of sporting director. Jason Wilcox, formerly director of City’s academy, became technical director.
Key figures at Ratcliffe’s Ineos Sport, Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc, were appointed to the board and Amorim became the final piece of a new leadership team after former manager Erik ten Hag was fired in October.
But that restructuring has been far from a smooth process.
Ten Hag was fired three months after being handed a one-year contract extension with United having lost four of their opening nine league games.
Ashworth left the club less than six months after taking up his role, and after months of negotiations to take him away from Newcastle.
They were expensive missteps.
In total it cost United 10.4 million pounds ($13.09 million) to pay off Ten Hag and his staff and another 11 million pounds ($13.85 million) to trigger Amorim’s release from Sporting Lisbon.
It was reported it cost between 2 and 3 million pounds ($2.5-3.78 million) to hire Ashworth, who spent five months on gardening leave during negotiations with Newcastle.
Cost cutting
Those numbers make uncomfortable reading at a time when United has implemented cost-saving initiatives that they said included staff redundancies of around 250 roles. More could be on the way, according to reports.
In October it emerged that managerial great Alex Ferguson was not beyond the reach of those measures. He will step down from his lucrative role as club ambassador at the end of the season.
In addition to cuts, United raised their lowest-priced tickets to 66 pounds ($81) partway through the season, up from 40 pounds ($49).
They defended that decision by telling fans it could not sustain their current financial losses and were in danger of breaching league rules if they did not act. United reported losses last year of 113.2 million pounds ($140 million).
“We will get back to a cash positive position as soon as possible and we will have to make some difficult choices to get there,” they said in a letter to fans.
Fan protests
That explanation has not gone down well with supporters.
“Fans should not be paying the price for previous bad ownership & bad management,” Manchester United Supporters Trust posted on X. “The supporters bring far more value than the simple collective ticket revenue.”
Supporters spent years trying to drive out the American Glazer family, which is still majority owner, and there continues to be anger toward them after Ratcliffe’s investment.
There have been jeers for the team while United’s performances on the field have continued to slide.
New lows
Ratcliffe’s first season as co-owner saw United endure their worst league campaign in 34 years when they finished in eighth place.
The end of his first full season could be even worse.
The last time they lost 12 of their first 25 games in a league season was in the 1973-74 campaign when they were relegated from the top flight.
Transfer strategy
United have spent around $260 million on players in the two transfer windows under Ratcliffe, but the squad still looks well short of the quality required to challenge for the title.
Forward Joshua Zirkzee has struggled to adapt to the Premier League and defender Leny Yoro missed a large part of the season through injury.
The pressure of complying with the league’s financial rules has placed uncertainty on United’s ability to spend big in the summer to bring in players to suit Amorim’s preferred system, and there is unlikely to be a quick fix.
Stadium rebuild
Ratcliffe wants a world class stadium, either by way of redeveloping United’s iconic Old Trafford or building one from new.
His plans, which include an ambitious redevelopment of the surrounding area, have been backed by the UK government. Financing them, however, is another issue and it is not yet clear where that money will come from.
The modernization of United’s Carrington training ground is well underway after 50 million pounds ($63 million) of investment.
The future
United haven’t lifted the league title since Ferguson’s last season in 2013 and behind the scenes the focus is on winning it for a record-extending 21st time. But with Liverpool on course to equal United’s haul of 20 this season, it is the club’s great rival from Merseyside that could set that new bar first.
Ratcliffe is a hugely successful businessman but, as he is discovering, that does not guarantee success in soccer.
Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s first year at Man United has not gone to plan
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Billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s first year at Man United has not gone to plan

- Ratcliffe said his investment was “just the beginning of our journey to take Manchester United back to the top of English, European and world football”
- “Fans should not be paying the price for previous bad ownership & bad management,” Manchester United Supporters Trust posted on X
Sports Council allows Olmo and Victor to play for Barca until end of season
The CSD said the two players’ registrations remain valid as the RFEF acknowledged that “there is no federation resolution that agreed to the cancelation of the licenses“
BARCELONA: Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD) on Thursday upheld an appeal filed by Barcelona players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor which will allow them to play for the club until the end of the season.
LaLiga had lowered Barcelona’s wage cap on Wednesday after it said the club’s recently revised accounts do not match the end-of-year figures from its previous auditor.
The previous accounts included proceeds from the sale of VIP seats in the renovated Camp Nou which allowed Barca to comply with LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play rules and extend the registration of Olmo and Victor.
LaLiga said Barca did not have the capacity to register the two players based on their accounts, but the CSD annulled the agreement between the Spanish top flight and the country’s football federation (RFEF).
The CSD said the two players’ registrations remain valid as the RFEF acknowledged that “there is no federation resolution that agreed to the cancelation of the licenses” and their decision not to grant a license is “null and void.”
“In any case, the professional careers of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have been protected since January 8 by the urgent precautionary measure granted by the CSD, with the sole aim of avoiding irreparable harm until this procedure is resolved,” it said.
“In short, for reasons of incompetence, for not having followed the appropriate procedures established in the regulations, and for not being the body authorized to make decisions, the agreement of the Monitoring Committee of the RFEF-LaLiga Coordination Agreement must be considered null and void, and all effects derived from it invalidated.”
In January, the CSD had allowed Barcelona to provisionally register the pair, four days after Spanish football authorities rejected their requests.
Liverpool’s Slot happy to let Premier League title bid take its course

- “We are not working on theories about how many points this is, this, this,” said Slot
- “We are taking the challenge of Fulham on for Sunday, where we have to be at our best again, like yesterday, to get a result”
LONDON: Arne Slot says Liverpool are unconcerned by how soon they can win the Premier League title after going 12 points clear again with victory in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby.
A day after second-placed Arsenal cut the gap to nine points by beating Fulham 2-1 at home, Liverpool responded by defeating Everton 1-0 at Anfield.
Liverpool next face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Slot, in his first season as Liverpool manager since succeeding Jurgen Klopp, was asked Thursday how close he felt to clinching the title.
“We are not working on theories about how many points this is, this, this,” said Slot.
“We are taking the challenge of Fulham on for Sunday, where we have to be at our best again, like yesterday, to get a result.
“We’ve played 30 games now. Maybe there were three or four where the score was so clear that in the last 20 minutes it wasn’t a problem anymore. Almost all of our other games have been really tight.
“That probably tells you as well how big of an accomplishment it is that we are 12 points clear at the moment and doing so well.”
Arsenal play Everton at Goodison Park in a Saturday lunchtime kick-off.
“We have more than enough rest for the Sunday game, so it’s not a problem for us,” added Slot.
“But I do feel for Everton, that they play on a Wednesday night and have to have the early kick-off on Saturday.
“The good thing is they play at home and I know how much their fans can influence the game.”
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who missed the Everton game due to concussion, and right-back Conor Bradley are being assessed ahead of Sunday’s fixture. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez remain sidelined.
“With Ali (Alisson), it’s simple,” said Slot. “It’s a concussion and you have to tick all the boxes. The moment he does, he will be in goal. The moment he doesn’t, we are following the protocol.”
Jack Hendry primed for first Dammam derby with Al-Ettifaq

- The Scotland defender spoke to Arab News about playing under Steven Gerrard and the ‘Eastern Derby’ against Al-Qadsiah
LONDON: Al-Ettifaq center back Jack Hendry knows a fair bit about cross-city rivalries. He played for Dundee against Dundee United, for Club Brugge against Cercle Brugge and, most notably, for Celtic against Rangers in the Old Firm Derby.
On Saturday, Hendry will face a new foe when he lines up in Al-Ettifaq’s defense against high-flying Al-Qadsiah. For the past few years, Al-Ettifaq has been Dammam’s leading club, but this season it has been undeniably usurped by rivals Al-Qadsiah.
Michel’s newly promoted side has enjoyed a stellar season on its return to the Kingdom’s top flight, currently lying third in the Saudi Pro League table and making it to the final of the King’s Cup.
“Hats off to Qadsiah, they’ve had a very good season,” Hendry told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “They’ve had good recruitment, bringing in players that have worked well for them.
“We really want to match that and will continue to work hard to be the main team in Dammam. I think we’re very much capable of doing that. It’s been a disappointing season but we are extremely motivated to be the No. 1 team in the city for our fans, because we know how much it means to them.”
He added: “This is something I am really hungry for. I moved to Al-Ettifaq to accomplish something in football; we don’t want to be finishing mid-table, we want to be winning the King’s Cup, qualifying for Asian competition and challenging at the top of the league.”
Hendry’s winning mentality is ingrained after spells at Celtic in his native Scotland and Club Brugge in Belgium — both clubs expected to consistently challenge for every domestic trophy.
It was this hunger that initially convinced him to move to Al-Ettifaq in summer 2023, excited by the possibility of working under Steven Gerrard. The coach’s own glittering playing career yielded myriad trophies at Liverpool before he also won the Scottish Premiership as Rangers boss in 2021.
“I had lots of opportunities to go to different places across Europe, but Steven really sold the project to me,” Hendry said. “It was an opportunity I thought I couldn’t let go.
“I picked up a lot from Steven and it was a great honor to play for him as he was one of my idols growing up. The winning mentality is something he obviously had as a player and he definitely brought that to his coaching too.”
In January, after 18 months at the helm, Gerrard left Al-Ettifaq and former Saudi Arabia U-23s’ coach Saad Al-Shehri returned for his second stint.
Hendry admits he was sad to see Gerrard go but praised his teammates for their professionalism in quickly adapting to their new coach’s approach — the team are now seventh in the Pro League table with victories including an impressive 3-2 away to Al-Nassr in February.
“To lose a figure, a role model like Steven with all his experience in the game is always disappointing,” Hendry said. “But in football, you get setbacks and things you don’t expect — you have to learn from it rather than dwell on it.
“We’ve now got a new manager who is extremely positive and highly ambitious for the football club. It matches my ambitions as well so I’m delighted he has those high standards and I’m really looking forward to the future.”
Al-Shehri’s arrival has coincided with Hendry’s return to the Al-Ettifaq starting lineup. The Saudi coach clearly sees the 29-year-old as a key figure both on the pitch and in the dressing-room, but it comes after a difficult first half of the season for Hendry.
After playing every minute of every game in the 2023-24 campaign, Hendry found himself initially omitted from the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League squad after suffering an injury. His return came quicker than anticipated, meaning he faced a painful wait for the end of the winter break to return to action.
“I was really happy with how I played last season and I really put my body on the line for the team,” Hendry says. “I played in a couple of games when I had a broken nose and a fractured cheek as well. This is the sort of player I am — I want to put in everything for the team.
“That’s why the first half of this season was so tough. It was a difficult situation but I worked extremely hard to … be fit as soon as possible because I knew the impact I could have on the side. Unfortunately, that then meant I needed to spend longer watching the team as I couldn’t play.
“I want the club to be as successful as possible and feel that when I am on the pitch we have a better chance of keeping the goals out. Thankfully now I’m back in the team and hopefully those circumstances won’t happen again.”
While Hendry has helped bring some solidity back to the Al-Ettifaq defense, the team has been struggling at the other end of the pitch. Al-Shehri’s side goes into the Dammam derby without star striker Moussa Dembele, who in February was ruled out until the end of the year after rupturing his Achilles.
“He is a very talented footballer, a very powerful striker,” Hendry says of Dembele, who was also his teammate at Celtic. “Moussa is going to be a big miss — no team wants to lose their No. 9. But we need to react to that in a positive way, do our best for him and hope he has a good recovery.”
Al-Ettifaq’s attackers will have their work cut out on Saturday against an Al- Qadsiah side that has the Saudi Pro League’s meanest defense this season — they have conceded just 21 goals in 25 games.
Hendry is nonetheless relishing the opportunity to play in his first Dammam derby. While he admits the rivalry might not have the ferocity of the Old Firm or Bruges games, he hopes Al-Ettifaq vs Al-Qadsiah might develop into something just as special.
“Obviously the fans of Celtic and Rangers absolutely live and breathe the Old Firm Derby in Scotland,” Hendry explains. “It means a lot and that creates an unbelievable atmosphere — it would be impossible to experience that kind of a game anywhere else.
“The passion in Scotland and in Belgium were amazing but we are talking about generations upon generations of fans. There is the potential with what’s going on right now in Saudi Arabia that it can reach that level.
“We already have many very loyal supporters at Ettifaq. I know it would mean the world to them to beat Qadsiah and we need to go out there and make them proud of the football club — that’s what we’ll try to do.”
World Cricket Association lights a fuse with views on game’s governance

- In a comprehensive review last August, the WCA said it had ‘given up hope’ on a structure in which international cricket and domestic leagues could co-exist
Everyone associated with cricket knows the international calendar is overcrowded. Everyone also knows India is the game’s powerhouse and is shaping it to its will. Solutions and remedies to these situations are in short supply, especially given the interests vested in maintaining them.
Last August, in recognition of this, the World Cricketers’ Association initiated a comprehensive review of the game’s global structure. At the time, its chair said they had “given up hope” the game’s leaders could establish a clear, coherent structure in which international cricket and domestic leagues could co-exist. A six-person panel was established with a remit to produce recommendations to the WCA board after talking with players, administrators, team owners and broadcasters.
Between September 2024 and March 2025, 64 interviews were conducted. Of these, 19 were with players, split almost equally between men and women; 14 with current or past cricket administrators; 17 with individuals operating in the media or with commercial interests; and 14 representing player associations. What is striking is the low-level of input from both the International Cricket Council and India — one Indian journalist was interviewed, along with the CEO of an IPL team, an executive of JioStar and a legendary former Indian female cricketer.
Whilst disappointing, this failure to engage is hardly a surprise. Neither India nor Pakistan has recognized player associations. There is an Indian Cricket Association, formed in 2019, but its membership is restricted to former players and it is not affiliated to the WCA. This reticence to allow the formation of a genuine players’ union is underpinned by the Lodha Committee. In response to the 2013 IPL betting scandal, it was instructed by the Supreme Court to recommend reforms to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Although it recommended the formation of the ICA, it specified it should not act as a union. This lack of player representation further strengthens the BCCI’s power.
The extent of this power is laid bare in the WCA report, “Protecting History, Embracing Change: A Unified, Coherent Global Future.” It focuses on four areas — scheduling, economics, regulation and leadership — and suggests solutions to address a “broken global structure”. It is likely that many outside India will accord with this but therein lies the problem. India is now the dominant actor.
Under the ICC’s current revenue distribution model, the cricket boards of Australia, England and India together receive almost 50 percent, with the BCCI receiving the lion’s share at 38.5 percent. Some 87 percent of bilateral cricket revenues are retained by the same three countries. Only 2 percent of cricket’s global revenue is distributed to countries ranked 13th-108th by the ICC. This is not new information but perhaps the report will help these facts reach more eyes. Its proposed solution will certainly resonate widely.
The report proposes a new model in which each of the top 24 countries receives a minimum of 2 percent and maximum of 10 percent of ICC revenue. It also suggests countries ranked 25th and below should collectively receive a minimum of 10 percent. With the best will in the world, it is difficult to envisage this being acceptable to the BCCI, whose share would reduce from 38.5 to 10 percent.
Unsurprisingly, this suggestion has been received critically by the Indian press. It points out that the report does not talk about the contributions of the BCCI to the ICC’s revenue pool. Estimates vary as to the exact extent, but it is at least 70 percent. The WCA report also fails to recognize the sale of media rights for the India market which is generating an unparalleled inflow of funds for the ICC. In turn, this has led to an influx of advertisers and sponsors.
A further observation by the WCA which is guaranteed to rile Indians is that “the IPL accounts for almost half the global cricket but shares only circa 0.3 percent of revenue with other countries and less than 10 percent with players.”
No doubt the Indian response is to point out that the IPL is an Indian tournament and revenues should be used to benefit the Indian game. This is the case with other franchise leagues. As for distribution to players, there will be few who doubt the IPL pays handsomely.
Although the WCA’s case for economic reform looks to be on thin ice, its take on the game’s governance and regulation is likely to receive a better hearing, at least outside the current body vested with that responsibility. One recommendation which straddles these two areas is: “All distributions from the ICC to National Governing Bodies to be publicly accounted for and independently audited against clear KPIs and enforcement mechanisms.” The fact this is considered at all is suggestive of currently imperfect control systems.
Famously, the previous ICC Chair said the governing body was not fit for purpose, a view shared by many. Upending and replacing the ICC is a task not for the faint hearted since it would directly take on Indian interests. The ICC is a members’ club answerable to no one and, as such, is unlikely to vote for its own abolition. A revolution is not in the air, yet. In recognition of this, the WCA boldly proposes an interim step of an “independently chaired Global Game Leadership Committee to make recommendations to the game and ICC Board,” comprised of “25 percent national boards, 25 percent DT20 leagues/franchises, 25 percent players and 25 percent independents.
It is obvious that the review undertaken by the WCA ought to be one conducted by the ICC. The fact it has not done so reflects its strategic inertia and constricted leadership faculties. An overcrowded calendar can be laid at its door. As a minimum, the WCA has suggested four three-week windows in the calendar that would be reserved for “core international cricket,” with commercial rights pooled.
Whilst a number of the WCA’s recommendations are unlikely to be either practical or acceptable, it has done a service by bringing together a raft of fragmented concerns which plague the game’s future direction. Every so often cricket is subject to transformational tremors. We may be on the brink of another.
‘We were serious’: Dominant Dubai Basketball cruise to 23-point victory over Serbia’s FMP Soccerbet

- Dubai cements their place in the top 3 of the ABA League standings following an 84-61 win at Coca-Cola Arena
DUBAI: With the playoff season fast approaching, Dubai Basketball continue to impress in their debut ABA League season with back-to-back wins, continuously establishing themselves as title contenders.
Their latest success came on Saturday night as the home side cruised past FMP Soccerbet with a resounding 84-61 victory, strengthening their position in the ABA League top three.
Dubai now have their their sights on silverware as they edge closer to the playoffs in May. Reigning champions Crvena Zvezda’s (Red Star) shock loss in Round 25 of the regular season has propelled Dubai Basketball to an unprecedented debut season standing with just five games left until playoffs.
An electrifying start set the tone for a dominant night when Ahmet Duverioglu opened the scoring with back-to-back two-pointers before Davis Bertans quickly followed up with consecutive three-pointers, giving Dubai a well-deserved early lead. Their relentless defensive pressure and physicality countered FMP’s attacking efforts, limiting the otherwise strong side that had won against Dubai on Serbian soil. By the end of the first quarter, Dubai had already established a commanding 10-point advantage.
Dubai Basketball coach Jurica Golemac commented on the big win: “I need to give the credit to the players. You know, these are not easy games to play. We were serious. We were very focused, disciplined.
“We got a great group of players with great character who are very experienced. They know that we need to do the job before the playoffs. We want to get the best position that we can get before the playoff. So, they’re all focusing, locked in.”
FMP attempted to respond at the start of the second quarter, with Filip Barna leading the Serbian side’s lineup, scoring 17 points. However, Dubai’s intensity never wavered. By halftime, the lead had stretched to nearly 20 points thanks to Dubai’s unshakeable guard Nate Mason’s impressive 18-point contribution.
With three minutes remaining, Dubai retained a comfortable 20-point lead, essentially sealing the win. However, the night’s most electrifying moment came when Filipino star player Thirdy Ravena stunned with a three-point jump shot with just two minutes left on the clock, sparking an eruption from the 2,800-strong crowd at Coca-Cola Arena.
Dubai Basketball now turn their attention to next weekend as they push to stay at the top of the ABA League standings, with a league title within reach. The team takes on Croatian team Zadar on April 6 at Coca-Cola Arena for what is sure to be another unmissable home game.