Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been almost as divisive as the Glazer family since he became Manchester United’s single largest shareholder.
The billionaire, who made his wealth in the chemicals industry with Ineos, has brutally cut costs by making mass redundancies while simultaneously raising prices for match-going fans.
Against that, Ratcliffe has delivered Champions League football through his appointment of Michael Carrick. And the mood at Old Trafford is arguably the best it has been since the 73-year-old acquired just less than 30 per cent of the club in February 2024.
Like any club owner who has made their money in more traditional industries, football has given Ratcliffe a rough education. When you’re running a chemicals plant, the financial stakes may well be higher, but it generates a fraction of the number of column inches, air time and smartphone pixels, after all.
In his time at Manchester United, he has, however, been very outspoken about some of the biggest governance topics in football today.
Among those is the Independent Football Regulator (IFR), the body backed by the government whose introduction in 2025 was one of the biggest moments in English football business for a generation.
Today, the IFR released its final rules and guidance for its licensing regime, under which every club in English football’s top five divisions will be required to comply as of the start of 2027-28.
While it might sound like grey industry news, the IFR could shape the very fabric of the sport in England for decades, with powers to prevent clubs joining breakaway leagues and enforce a new financial distribution system if the Premier League and EFL cannot agree one independently.
Launched as a direct response to the Man United-backed European Super League plot, the IFR is projected to cost clubs up to £149m in its first decade
Many Premier League clubs are not keen on the regulator. Ratcliffe is among them, warning that over-regulation could “ruin” the global popularity of the league.
After the final four duties of the Regulator were announced today, United now know that, as of the start of 2027-28, they must comply with the following duties:
- Prohibited competitions: The IFR can ban clubs from participating in competitions it deems to undermine fair and open competition
- Administration and Insolvency Duties: Clubs must seek approval to appoint administrators and inform fans of proceedings throughout
- Duties on Specified Competition Organisers: Leagues must consult IFR before changing competition-wide rules and inform them if events occur which threaten IFR’s objectives
- Home Ground Sale or Relocation: Clubs must notify IFR for approval of relocation or sale
- Changes to Crests, Predominant Home Shirt Colours and Names: Clubs must notify IFR if they plan to make changes to club identity and heritage
- Notification on Material Changes to Club Circumstances: Clubs must notify if new owners, directors or senior executives are appointed
For United, the new confirmed rules could be pertinent for umpteen reasons.
Perhaps the most obvious is their plans to build a new stadium, which would need approval from the IFR, as would any sales of shares from the Glazers. The IFR is unlikely to stand in the way in either event, but it does add a layer of bureaucracy and, the IFR argues, protection for the interests of fans.
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