May 1 – Following news that Manchester United is set to hang For Sale signs on the bulk of the club’s players this summer, the club has announced further changes to its management.
Interim CEO Patrick Stewart, and chief financial officer Cliff Baty “have decided to leave the club at the end of the season”, said a club statement.
The writing was already on the wall for Stewart following the announcement in January that Omar Berrada, former Chief Football Operations Officer, City Football Group (owners of cross-town rivals Manchester City) was on his way to the club to take up the CEO role.
With Stewart leaving in May, INEOS Sport CEO Jean-Claude Blanc, who has worked closely with new Man Utd shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his sports performance guru Sir David Brailsford, will take over as interim CEO at the club until Berrada arrives on July 13.
Baty will be replaced by another close Ratcliffe associate as CFO by Roger Bell who has been chief financial officer at INEOS, Ratcliffe’s holding company that has INEOS sports as a division under it, since 2001.
“I would like to personally thank both Patrick and Cliff for their support in helping us get to know the club and making us feel welcome and I respect their decisions to now move on as we establish a new management team for the club,” said Ratcliffe.
“It is our stated ambition to re-establish Manchester United as a title-winning club. We are pleased that Omar will be joining us to help achieve that goal, so that, once again, United fans can see, in the words of Sir Matt Busby, the red flag flying high at the summit of English, European and world football,” said a club statement when Berrada’s appointment was announced.
What Man Utd fans want to see less off is the Glazer family and with the departure of their CEO and CFO to be replaced by Ratcliffe’s people, that looks to be happening.
Joel Glazer who sits on the Man Utd board and is the principle spokesperson on the family’s interests in the club, said: “I would like to thank Patrick and Cliff for their dedicated service to Manchester United and wish them well for the future. Both have been a source of invaluable advice and expertise over many years, and Patrick has served an important role as interim CEO during this transitional phase.”
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