In a statement released on Thursday night, the co-owner of Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, apologized after anti-immigration comments that had a very negative impact in the United Kingdom and even led to the club’s stance. After saying that the United Kingdom had been “colonized by immigrants”, Ratcliffe apologized to anyone he had offended with his “choice of language”.
“I apologize that my choice of language has offended people in the United Kingdom and Europe, as well as generating concern. But it is important to address the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth”, explained the businessman.
Ratcliffe spoke about the subject in an interview with Sky Sports last Wednesday. The businessman, who lives in Monaco, stated that the United Kingdom “cannot have a (stable) economy with nine million people receiving benefits and high levels of immigrants arriving”. Afterwards, he even spoke of “colonization”.
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— The United Kingdom was colonized. It’s costing a lot of money. The United Kingdom was colonized by immigrants.
The speech was criticized by several important local figures, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who classified the businessman’s comments as “offensive and wrong” and called for a retraction.
In a statement also released on Thursday, United did not mention the name of the owner, but reinforced its positioning as a “diverse” and “inclusive” club.
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“Manchester United reflects the unity and resilience of all the communities we are privileged to represent. We will continue to represent our people, our city and our fans with purpose and pride”, says an excerpt from the statement.
