Lineker brands Ratcliffe 'unpleasant human being' and worse than the Glazers

Gary Lineker has branded Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe an ‘unpleasant human being’ and claimed the INEOS chairman is ‘even worse than the Glazers’, as criticism of the billionaire intensified following a turbulent weekend on and off the pitch.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, the former England striker said the problems at Old Trafford flow from the very top of the club. ‘I look at Man United and I see problems coming down from the top,’ Lineker said. ‘I must congratulate the Glazers on finding someone even worse than them that they can blame and getting him in there and getting all the stick: Jim Ratcliffe. He’s clearly… I don’t think he’s a particularly pleasant human being and it’s a bit of a shambles of a football club the way it’s being run at the moment.’

Ratcliffe, who acquired a 28.94 per cent stake in United in February 2024 alongside the Glazer family, had drawn widespread condemnation on Saturday after saying ‘nobody’s tough enough to deal with the immigration problem’ in the UK — remarks that followed an earlier claim this year that Britain had been ‘colonised by immigrants’. The Manchester United Muslim Supporters Club responded by calling for Ratcliffe to leave, stating the INEOS chairman ‘must go’.

The weekend’s difficulties continued on the pitch on Sunday, as United were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham, who had entered the match bottom of the Premier League table.

Lineker also highlighted the case of 15-year-old academy prospect JJ Gabriel, who is reportedly pushing to leave the club due to a lack of first-team opportunities. ‘It is a bit of a mess that club,’ Lineker said. ‘You’ve got a ground that’s falling apart, all sorts of complaints about various things. They’re losing young teenagers, it looks like that is going to happen. The results, the inconsistency seems to be back.’

On the question of Ratcliffe’s previous apology for his ‘colonisation’ remark — which came after then-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the comments ‘offensive and wrong’ — Lineker was equally dismissive. ‘The hypocrisy I find difficult,’ he said, stopping short of accepting the apology at face value.

Ratcliffe has not yet publicly responded to Lineker’s comments.