MU fans blast Ratcliffe after he cuts £40k donation to charity helping icons

MAN United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been dubbed Scrooge after cutting funding for a charity helping former players.

United previously gave £40,000 a year to the trust, which fears it will fold without the lifeline.

Supporters said it was a “kick in the teeth” following £23billion tycoon Sir Jim’s ticket price rises and a Christmas do ban.

It follows a series of petty penny-pinching measures by Sir Jim, Britain’s richest man who is worth an estimated £23billion.

The club had previously given a yearly sum to the Association of Former Manchester United Players, which was set up in 1985 to help footballers from bygone eras who earned nothing like the megabucks of today’s superstars.

It puts on four events a year where ex-players can rub shoulders with others who signed professional forms with the club but never made a first-team appearance.

But when the charity contacted Old Trafford after two quarterly payments of £10,000 failed to arrive, it was shocked to learn it plans to end all funding as part of Sir Jim’s cost-cutting drive.

Trustee Jim Elms, 84, who played for United’s youth team and reserves from 1957 to 1960, called the move “ridiculous”. He said the charity does “so much good for the club for so little”, and has urged it to reconsider.

He told The Sun: “We sent a ­letter to say we’ve not been paid. Nobody came out and told us so we had to send another letter.

“That’s when we started hearing things that it was going to be the end of us.”

He told how United’s chief executive Omar Berrada called him just days before Christmas.

Jim, who played with Bobby Moore for an England youth team, said: “It didn’t go too well.

“Omar was non-committal. He’s going to meet us again in January but he said he couldn’t see it changing.

“He didn’t seem to think that we were a necessity.”

Jim, of Bramhall, Cheshire, added: “We’ve ran it since 1985.

“Keeping the old players together. Looking after the ones that couldn’t pay for funerals.

“I just can’t understand them myself. It’s ridiculous.”

He added that each event was held at Old Trafford’s Manchester suite, which they pay to hire out.

Among its 300 members are ­former skipper Bryan Robson, Alex Stepney, Denis Law, Brian Kidd, Arthur Albiston, Frank Stapleton, Denis Irwin and Arthur Albiston.

Jim went on: “We give away around £10-20,000 to charity, mostly children’s charities in the local area. We’ve had £20,000 this year but not the rest of it.”

He has written a follow-up letter to the CEO, telling him: “We do so much good for the name of MUFC for so little. Please look again.”

The cuts were also slammed by Dan Coombs, editor at supporters’ group United In Focus.

He said: “After a summer where United spent £101million net and continue to pay incredibly high wages, the savings from this latest cut are a drop in the ocean, and are a kick in the teeth for many of the club’s former greats, who were not paid the excesses today’s footballers receive.”

A source added: “Everyone knows the club needs to save money but some things just shouldn’t be cut.

"Some of the players who benefit from this organisation never earned a penny from football and aren’t in the best financial circumstances.

“Sir Jim has been clear that United need to save money, but this move has left him looking like a Christmas Scrooge.”

Party scrapped

The chemicals tycoon, 72, has launched a ruthless cost-cutting drive since his minority takeover of the club was announced 12 months ago.

More than 250 employees have been made redundant, while managerial legend Sir Alex Ferguson’s £2million-a-year ambassador role has been axed.

Staff have also seen their ­traditional Christmas party scrapped and their bonus cut.

Employees no longer receive free tickets for the FA Cup Final and had to pay for their own transport to Wembley in May this year.

Ticket discounts for youngsters and over-65s were also scrapped.

A club source said United “greatly appreciated” the role of AFMUP in maintaining relationships between former players and would continue supporting events.

They added: “We are no longer able to make charitable donations to AFMUP while the club is ­making significant losses.

“Our focus is on putting the club back on a sustainable financial footing so that we are in a position to invest in our priorities of achieving success on the pitch, and renewing our infrastructure.”

The move comes at a turbulent time on the pitch, with new ­manager Ruben Amorim overseeing four defeats in their last five ­Premier League matches.

There were fan protests against ticket price rises at last month’s game against Everton at Old ­Trafford, with banners reading “Stop Exploiting Loyalty”.

A spokesman for supporters group MUST said asking them to pay their “fair share” after decades of mismanagement was “offensive”.

He went on: “We have done everything we have been asked. We’ve cheered the players on even in the face of substandard performance.”

But United have defended their penny-pinching, saying: “We have been focused on cost saving to put us on a stronger financial footing.”

Sir Jim has also insisted “hard choices” are needed. He added: “I want to be free for us to buy really good footballers, not spend so much of the money on infrastructure.”

United were approached for comment.