Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Manchester United staff have fond memories of the FA Cup, with 10 finals in the last 30 years.

Now, however, a leaked e-mail ahead of next month’s final against Manchester City at Wembley has caused a furore among the employees, writes The Times.

The club’s new co-owner Sir Jim Ratfcliffe wants to curtail the employees’ benefits in connection with the FA Cup final.

All 1,100 employees will each receive a ticket to the match as before, and some senior members and directors will be given the opportunity to bring their families.

Have to pay for the cup final weekend myself

However, they now have to pay for the journey from Manchester, hotel accommodation in London, lunch and final party, which has previously been the responsibility of many employees.

This is revealed in an email from Ratcliffe, which has been leaked to The Times.

“There is still hard work ahead of us in the coming weeks, but I know everyone at the club is 100 per cent focused on delivering the performances and results expected of Manchester United and finding ways to win in whatever role you play,” Ratcliffe began in the email.

High and unnecessary expenses are said to be one of the first things Ratcliffe noticed and wanted to tackle when he took over United. The changes in connection with the FA Cup weekend are therefore seen as cost cutting.

Earlier, the British media mentioned that he has confiscated the credit cards of employees in order to save money.

“In recognition of your support this season, we will be organizing a trip to Wembley for the final on 25 May. This year the trip will be a little different. We will still give you a free ticket to the match. However, we will ask you to contribute to bus journeys, and lunch will not be free”, he writes further.

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– Reacted with dismay

Ratcliffe will justify the cuts to the employees by saying that the club’s funds should be used for sports.

“While we recognize that this is a change from previous tours, you are all aware of the need for us to spend the club’s money effectively, with a focus on performance and results.”

“We hope that this year’s tour will both give you the opportunity to travel to Wembley to support our players while also ensuring that we can invest as much as possible in the club over the coming months to achieve our goal of taking Manchester United back to the top of English and European football”.

The Times writes that the email was received with dismay and that several employees are now very dissatisfied with the treatment after long and faithful service at the club.

The FA Cup final between Manchester United and Manchester City will be played on Saturday 25 May.