Sir Jim Ratcliffe has issued a stern directive to Manchester United staff, demanding an immediate improvement in cleanliness after labelling some parts of the club's stadium and training ground as a "disgrace".
The INEOS head honcho, who recently acquired a minority stake in the Red Devils with a £1.3 billion investment, was far from impressed during his two-day inspection of the facilities. In a no-nonsense email dispatched to all staff members, Ratcliffe insisted on a significant uplift in tidiness, particularly singling out the IT department and the youth team dressing rooms for criticism.
Ratcliffe's hard-hitting message is part of his broader strategy to overhaul the culture at Manchester United, aiming to restore the club's status as a leading force in global football.
His email stated: "I had a good tour around the some of the facilities. I am afraid I was struck in many places by a high degree of untidiness. In particular the IT department which frankly was a disgrace and the dressing rooms of the U18 and U21 were not much better.
"These standards would not come close to what we would expect at INEOS and we are a chemical company. Manchester United is an elite sporting organisation. It's a small thing in many ways but unless an organisation has standards and discipline it will not succeed."
"I would be grateful in future if we adopt the proper standards of housekeeping everywhere. It reflects poorly on the club if we have visitors, young player parents, new players and and the media and they see we don't care enough to keep things shipshape."
The bombshell restructuring of United spearheaded by Ratcliffe has already seen numerous high-profile departures, including ex-chief executive Richard Arnold and ex-football director John Murtough.
The Red Devils have lured away Omar Berrada from English Premier League and city rivals Manchester City to serve as their new chief executive, with a start date fixed for July 13, appointing Jason Wilcox as their fresh Technical Director in the process.
Additionally, talks are underway between the club and Newcastle, as United seeks to negotiate compensation for Dan Ashworth, poised to take over the role of United's sporting director.
