Manchester United's Muslim Supporters' Club Calls for Ratcliffe to Go After Immigration Remarks

One interview, one line, and the same controversy all over again. Sir Jim Ratcliffe brought up immigration once more on the BBC's 'Big Boss' program, and once more his words landed like a bombshell inside Manchester United. This time the response came straight from the stands: the club's Muslim fan group, the Muslim Supporters' Club (MUMSC), publicly called for the owner to leave the institution.

This isn't the first time Ratcliffe has sparked this kind of reaction. Back in February he said the United Kingdom had been "colonized by immigrants," a remark he later apologized for if it had offended anyone. But in this latest interview, the 73 year old businessman, who lives in Monaco, doubled down on the same idea: that the country "is in decline" because of immigration.

His exact words leave little room for interpretation:

We had the greatest empire in the world. We were a great people. We won two world wars. We're good, honest people. But sadly, at the moment, I think the UK is in decline. It's quite hard to see how you turn that round. Nobody's tough enough to deal with the immigration problem. Nobody's tough enough to deal with the welfare benefits problem. But somebody's got to.Sir Jim Ratcliffe

A club that won't stay quiet

MUMSC had already condemned Ratcliffe's February comments, and it went on the offensive again this time, calling the fresh remarks "deeply disappointing." The organization posted a 750 word statement on X that didn't pull any punches.

Part of the statement read: "Our players, staff, stewards, security teams and supporters come from different countries, cultures, ethnicities, religions and backgrounds. Manchester United would not be Manchester United without them. That diversity is not a weakness of the club. It is part of Manchester United."

The statement also included a line that sums up the group's core grievance: "Manchester United does not emotionally belong to investment funds, shareholders or billionaires. It belongs to generations of fans who inherited this club from their fathers and grandfathers and will one day pass it on to their children."

And they closed leaving no doubt about their demand: "After years of decline, broken promises and repeated failures, the Manchester United Muslim Supporters' Club has lost confidence in the club's current ownership structure. Enough is enough. It is time for change. The Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe must go."

The timing doesn't help

All of this comes at a particularly difficult moment for United on the pitch. The team lost two Premier League matches and was knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the first round by Brighton this week. Before last week's 1-0 loss to Manchester City, a section of the fan base had already unfurled a banner with a direct message to ownership: "the way we are treated is a disgrace."

MUMSC made it clear in its statement that this goes beyond a result, a coach or a season. By its own description, this is a matter of direction, leadership and identity for the club.