In February 2026, Ratcliffe told Sky News: “The UK has been colonised by immigrants" and has also commented on Brexit/immigration, taxation, energy policy, government regulation in the past.
This month the Manchester United Muslim Supporters' Club issued a statement calling Ratcliffe's comments “deeply disappointing” after he stated that the UK is "on the slide" because of immigration.
Ratcliffe could learn from Tottenham and Arsenal
Now, Wilson, who is a world-renowned sport finance expert and a leading media commentator on the commercials of sport, spoke with CanadaSportsBetting about how Ratcliffe could learn a thing or two from fellow Premier League owners.
“There’s a comparison to be made with some of the American owners in football,” added Professor Wilson.
“Many of these parties, such as the Glazer family or the Kroenke family (former Tottenham owners), make political donations to certain parties and hold political views that fans of their clubs may not agree with. However, this is a well-trodden path. You can look up the political affiliations of these owners but they don’t generally become part of the day-to-day narrative or identity of their football clubs.
“When most fans think about the Glazers, they may not have a positive view on them due to the debt they have added to Manchester United but that’s the issue rather than their politics. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, on the other hand, is deliberately putting himself out there as this public face for political positions and statements while being part owner of Manchester United. That’s different.
“We don’t hear from the Glazers. Si Jim, however, makes a conscious effort to make these interventions, and it is much harder for people to separate Sir Jim Ratcliffe the businessman and chair of INEOS from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the part owner of Manchester United. That’s where we may see bigger consequences for the club and their commercial opportunities over time.
“Manchester United have already had to publicly restate the club's commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion following Sir Jim’s previous comments and based on the news since his latest statements, we have seen strong reaction from fans. The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club have gone as far as to release their own statement to say they’ve lost confidence in his ownership of the club, which is becoming an even hotter topic on social media too.”
Club legend Eric Cantona was asked this month if he would join United after Ratcliffe's comments and simply stated: "no".