MU staff miss out on free UEL tickets in Ratcliffe cuts as Spurs' get freebies

MANCHESTER UNITED are not going to be giving staff free tickets to the Europa League final in yet another cost-cutting measure implemented by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos.

The Red Devils take on Tottenham in the Europa League final on May 21 after a semi-final demolition job of Athletic Bilbao gave them a shot to save their season.

The final, which is being hosted in Bilbao's 53,000-seat San Mames Stadium, has seen both clubs allocated around 15,000 seats each by Uefa.

It's been reported that Spurs are offering all full-time employees a complimentary ticket for the match - a stance that United are not following.

The Mail claim that Man Utd are instead holding a ballot with a small number of tickets available for their staff, but will see the majority of workers go without the opportunity to watch the club in Spain.

It's reported that United will put on a screening in Manchester for the rest of the staff instead, with plus-ones also invited along.

Staff will get two free drinks at the event, but plus-ones will be expected to pay for theirs, it is claimed.

It is understood that Man Utd feel that they are putting the fans first when it comes to access to tickets for the final, given the high demand from supporters for tickets to a major final.

There are currently around 50,000 season ticket holders at Old Trafford, meaning the demand for final tickets far exceeds that of the allocation of 15,000.

SunSport has approached Manchester United for comment.

United are thought to currently employ around 900 people, marginally more than the 700 staff members that have been offered free tickets by Tottenham.

Man Utd paid for flights, accommodation and food for staff in the last three Champions League finals the club appeared in - further exemplifying the change in process since Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival.

Ratcliffe, 72, has been cutting costs at the Theatre of Dreams since his minority takeover was announced in December 2023.

The billionaire Brit and his Ineos company have implemented cost-cutting measures that have seen nearly 500 redundancies at the Premier League giants.

Other more marginal financial savings have been made by scrapping free meals for Old Trafford staff, cancelling the staff Christmas party and stopping access to private chauffeurs and company credit cards.

Ratcliffe also played a part in the decision to take legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson off the club payroll, axing him from his ambassadorial position with the club he managed for 26 years.

It's not the first time Ineos have made a big decision regarding finals either, last season they made staff and the players' families pay for their own transport to the FA Cup final.

Despite the mass cost-cutting, United announced in March plans to build a brand new £2billion 100,000-seat stadium in the near future.

All this has coincided with United's worst ever season on the pitch, with manager Ruben Amorim now handed a lifeline to save the club's season with a European trophy and place in the Champions League as they languish in 15th in the Prem table.