Wouldn’t it be great to hear a new, senior voice in football trying to change the narrative, to forge a new path, a narrative guided by a moral compass that sees footballers held accountable for their actions both on and off the field?
Enter stage left: Jim Ratcliffe is the new owner of Manchester United. Most people who step into this type of role are likely doing so for some sort of financial gain. Not Ratcliffe. He made it clear from the beginning that he was “not really interested in the financial aspects of this investment at all.”
Why this, Jim? “Because I make enough money from chemicals, oil and gas.”
Ahem. We are making a sharp return to the topic of football.
The total investment in the club of around £1.3bn would seem to indicate that he is quite serious about Manchester United. So what’s in it if it’s not going to be a good return on investment?
He’s a fan first and foremost. He says he is interested in seeing the club “be successful again”. You are right. As a primary factor, this is a good starting point and one that fans seem generally comfortable with.
So how exactly will it help the club achieve success? He gave some early indications yesterday when talking about the possibility of Mason Greenwood returning to Old Trafford.
To be fair to Ratcliffe, he does seem to have some understanding of the world he has bravely stepped into, saying: “You’re dealing with young people with a lot of talent who haven’t always been brought up in the best conditions.” they get paid and they don’t always have the guidance they should have.”
While there’s nothing to suggest Greenwood’s upbringing was problematic, you could say he fits the rest of this characterization pretty well. He was charged last year with attempted rape, assault causing actual bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behavior following social media posts that revealed the now 22-year-old had forced himself on a woman. The charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service last February.
Then last summer, Manchester United conducted an internal investigation into Greenwood, the outcome of which signaled the end of Greenwood’s career at the club. He joined Spanish club Getafe on loan following a joint agreement between the club and Greenwood for him to continue his career “away from Old Trafford”.
So what supersedes the results of the investigation, which now concluded that “the material published online does not present the full picture and that Mason did not commit the crimes for which he was originally charged” but that would be better? For those who are worried about continuing their career elsewhere? (We don’t know what the club’s detailed results were because they were never made public.)
Greenwood has always denied committing the crimes he is accused of, but he has acknowledged making some mistakes.
It simply seems to me that the club is beating itself up for allowing Greenwood to disappear into the Spanish sunset; Greenwood scored five goals and provided a further five assists in LaLiga in 21 appearances for Getafe. His impressive performances even saw him earn a transfer to Barcelona.
In fact, this seems to be all about Manchester United putting the past aside and bringing back a player simply because he is needed on the pitch. Another sickening example of how players in the Premier League are not held accountable for their actions off the pitch as long as they score goals. And yes, they will be paid millions of pounds every month to live this privileged life.
Ratcliffe’s personal scales of justice appear to be based on values. He said he would be willing to open the door to the possibility of welcoming Greenwood back as long as the decision was based on “the values of the club”.
So Ratcliffe, what exactly are these values? Wouldn’t it be useful for the club’s stakeholders to know their situation when making such decisions? At the moment, it appears that decisions regarding players like Greenwood are being made deliberately behind a heavy veil of secrecy. Marcus Rashford’s rebuke after calling in “sick” following a night out in Belfast was also suppressed by the club.
But Ratcliffe is onto something here in many ways. Of course, fans, shareholders, experts and players deserve to understand what our clubs truly stand for. If we really want football to improve its moral standing, and if clubs really want to take us on that journey, then absolutely increasing transparency is key.
Transparency breeds trust. And trust creates better relationships and better businesses. This is the win-win we all need in football; fans believe their club is doing the ‘right thing’, shareholders see better returns and players know there is a clear ‘value system’ to defend. and they live by their behavior both on and off the field.
According to the club’s mission statement, Manchester United’s goal is to be “the best club in the world, both on and off the pitch.” Come on Ratcliffe, now’s your chance to show us what that means. But this time, don’t do it all behind closed doors. Then you can truly make a name for yourself as the best club in the world.