By Approximately 150-200 staff at Manchester United will be let go as the Premier League giant attempts to halt a run of five consecutive years of losses since 2019, the club said in a statement on Monday.
These cuts to jobs – which are “subject to a consultation process with employees” – come on top of the 250 redundancies which were announced last year and are the latest in co-owner Jim Ratcliffe’s controversial moves since the British billionaire took charge of the club’s soccer operations in February 2024.
In addition to the job cuts, the club has also taken the decision to end free lunches for staff, reduce executive bonuses and stop donations to certain charitable causes, according to Reuters.
CNN has reached out to United for comment.
“We have lost money for the past five consecutive years. This cannot continue,” Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada said in the statement. “Our two main priorities as a club are delivering success on the pitch for our fans and improving our facilities. We cannot invest in these objectives if we are continuously losing money.
“We are initiating a wide-ranging series of measures which will transform and renew the club. Unfortunately, this means announcing further potential redundancies and we deeply regret the impact on those affected colleagues. However, these hard choices are necessary to put the club back on a stable financial footing,” he said.
“At the end of this process, we will have a more lean, agile and financially sustainable football club, while continuing to provide a world class service to our valuable commercial partners. We will then be in a much stronger position to invest in football success and improved facilities for fans, while remaining compliant with UEFA and Premier League regulations.”
The news comes less than a week after United’s second-quarter results revealed that the club spent £14.5 million ($18.3 million) on the departures of manager Erik ten Hag, his backroom staff and sporting director Dan Ashworth.
Ten Hag was fired in October, less than four months after the club opted to extend his contract despite finishing eighth in the Premier League, its worst top-flight finish in over 30 years.
Ashworth left the Red Devils after just five months in his role, having overseen an outlay of more than £200 million ($253 million) on new players and bringing in £110 million ($139 million) in player sales.
Currently sitting in 15th place, United is virtually guaranteed to miss out on qualification for the Champions League, Europe’s most lucrative club competition, for the third time in four seasons.
