MU circus on tour: Players exhausted, Sir Ratcliffe counting money

MU pioneered the modern corporate football model, where players performed like circuses to help Sir Jim Ratcliffe make money.

1. The recent tour to Malaysia and Hong Kong (China) was the opening act of the "summer circus" from Old Trafford.

The MU squad just went through a stressful and tiring season, instead of being able to rest, they were dragged out to "perform" in front of Asian audiences.

MU criticized after losing to Southeast Asian stars. Photo: EPA

The result was a humiliating defeat to ASEAN All Stars , booed by the audience and ridiculed by the British media.

The climax was a scene where Amad Diallo behaved rudely towards an Asian audience member, which he later explained was due to being offended by his mother.

It was a truly impressive PR stunt for Sir Jim Ratcliffe's United - a team that just days earlier lost 0-1 to Tottenham in the Europa League final, experiencing its worst season in the Premier League era.

2. Sir Jim Ratcliffe – seen as United's financial hero, or at least he appears to be so by his media team – has been cutting costs aggressively over the past year.

From the cut in food rations at the Carrington training centre, to hundreds of logistics staff being laid off, to even the hot water tap almost being “charged separately”.

But the amazing thing is that while every department has to "tighten their belts", the players are given "priority" to go... perform around the world .

No one remembers much about the technical aspects of the recent tour. Photo: Man Utd

Players exhausted? No problem, walking out is fine, the important thing is to bring in £10m in shirt and ticket sales for a friendly match no one remembers.

The limits of absurdity have been pushed. When the PFA (Professional Footballers' Association) CEO Maheta Molango himself had to speak up: "Quite a few players have expressed concerns. They need a break."

But what is the point of resting when the pockets are not full? With Sir Ratcliffe - who is causing the Red Devils to go backwards in terms of expertise when taking over management from the Glazer family - the motto seems to be: "Cut personnel, cut hot water, but not cut shows" .

3. Even the fiery derby matches – like Arsenal vs Tottenham – were taken to Hong Kong (China) for “marketing”.

Molango was upset: "You can't go to the derby in slippers" . But at MU, perhaps a new shirt is enough, because the main goal is not to play, but to... sell.

While FIFA, FIFPro and European football organizations are still struggling with the "unimaginable match schedule", MU has its own solution: players do not need physical strength, just a schedule.

On one hand Sir Jim Ratcliffe cut costs, on the other hand he exhausted the players. Photo: Imago

Football is a sport , but at Old Trafford it has become a business model that fattens the owners' pockets.

In that model, players are simply “liquid assets,” caught up in the revenue cycle.

One day, when all the tours are over, maybe MU will discover that they have forgotten the most important thing: the belief and vitality of the players who wear the team's shirt.

Many players have left Old Trafford to find passion and joy in playing football. McTominay led Napoli to a historic Serie A title, Antony exploded with Betis…

But by then, who knows, MU might organize another tour, the purpose of which is to apologize... with tickets for sale.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ganh-xiec-mu-cau-thu-met-moi-sir-jim-ratcliffe-dem-tien-2407510.html