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Αντιγράφω επιστολή αναγνώστη στην Γκάρντιαν της 17 Φεβρουαρίου 2026, επιστολή η οποία δημοσιεύθηκε υπό τον τίτλο “Jim Ratcliffe’s repugnant words have sullied Manchester United’s reputation”. Δυστυχώς, τα κρούσματα ρατσισμού στο ποδόσφαιρο, συχνά ακόμη και από ποδοσφαιριστές προς αντίπαλους ομοτέχνους, δεν λένε να εκλείψουν.

“In response to the billionaire industrialist and Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe’s historically, economically and culturally illiterate and deeply offensive remark that “the UK is being colonised by immigrants”, it was fitting that he should be rebuked, albeit only implicitly, in a statement issued by the football club amid a tsunami of condemnation from politicians, club supporters and anti-racist groups (Jim Ratcliffe apologises for ‘choice of language’ after saying immigrants ‘colonising’ UK, 12 February).

Quite rightly, Ratcliffe’s words are now being investigated by the Football Association. As a lifelong Manchester United fan, I have no doubt that Ratcliffe has brought the game into disrepute and sullied the club’s reputation. His vile comments constitute a failure of moral leadership and a betrayal of the club’s proud and pivotal role in the anti-racism work of Kick It Out, making him wholly unfit to be co-owner of a club with an unparalleled global fanbase, including in Africa and Asia.

In his memoir, poignantly titled Belonging, the late Herman Ouseley, founder of the Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football campaign in 1993, wrote candidly about the stonewalling and deeply entrenched resistance he encountered from many club owners over racism. Without the moral leadership, courage and tenacity shown by Lord Ouseley, the chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, the campaign may never have got off the ground, let alone developed into a model replicated globally. As a board member of the Manchester United Foundation, Lord Ouseley was supported by the club’s then legendary manager, Alex Ferguson, who will also find Ratcliffe’s remarks repugnant.”


Simon Bird
Doctoral researcher, King’s College London

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