Manchester United chair officially resigns

Manchester United’s relationship with its supporters has become one of the biggest talking points surrounding the club away from the pitch in recent months.

The arrival of INEOS was initially viewed by many fans as an opportunity to reset the club following years of frustration under the Glazer family’s ownership.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority investment brought a new leadership structure, with INEOS taking control of football operations and promising to help restore United to its former position at the top of the game.

However, the changes made since then have also created significant controversy among sections of the fanbase.

Ticket prices, cost-cutting measures, redundancies and the club’s approach to supporter engagement have all attracted criticism, while questions have also been raised about whether fans still have a meaningful influence over major decisions.

Those concerns have become increasingly prominent as United attempt to balance the need for financial discipline with the expectations of a supporter base that wants to remain at the heart of the club.

Manchester United chairman resigns

Luca Black, the chair of the Manchester United Youth Supporters Club and an Under-21 representative on the club’s Fans’ Forum, has now resigned from his position and published an open letter explaining why as he posted on Reddit.

Luca Black, who joined the Fans’ Forum as a teenager after applying at the age of 14, made clear that his decision was not an attack on the individual representatives or Manchester United employees he had worked alongside.

Instead, his criticism is aimed at the structure of supporter representation itself and what he believes has become a lack of meaningful influence over decisions being made at the club.

“Every fan rep I’ve worked with has given up their time, unpaid, because they love this club and its supporters.”

Black said he had been welcomed and treated with respect throughout his time working with the club, but questioned whether the Fans’ Forum still has the power to perform the role it was created to fulfil.

“I don’t believe it does anymore.”

The former fan representative pointed to the period when Richard Arnold was Manchester United chief executive as a time when he believed the club’s relationship with supporters was genuinely improving.

Black praised Arnold for regularly attending meetings with supporters and highlighted the work of former fan-engagement director Rick McGagh.

He said discussions during that period helped lead to initiatives including cheaper concessions, more youth season-ticket options and changes to hospitality around the Stretford End.

The Youth Supporters Club was also created following work Black carried out with the club’s fan-engagement team.

While he acknowledged that these were relatively small victories, Black said they demonstrated that supporter engagement could result in tangible changes.

“My hope grew. I believed we were finally being listened to.”

That optimism did not last following INEOS’ arrival.

Ratcliffe’s agreement to acquire a 25% stake in United was announced in December 2023, with the deal completed in February 2024.

The investment gave INEOS control over the club’s football operations while the Glazer family retained overall ownership.

Black claims supporters were presented with an ambitious vision for the club before the takeover was completed, but believes that vision subsequently failed to materialise.

“Then Ineos arrived, and it turned out to be a lie.”

He claimed that the club’s staffing structure was subsequently dismantled and that regular meetings which had previously focused on initiatives, growth and events became increasingly difficult.

Black also criticised what he described as the club’s interpretation of revenue growth.

“What gets called ‘revenue growth’ has, in practice, looked like penny-pinching.”

He argued that the approach had cost Manchester United creative and commercial opportunities which could now be impossible to recover.

The resignation letter also details a conversation Black had with United chief executive Omar Berrada.

Black said he told Berrada that success on the pitch would mean little to him if supporters could no longer afford to attend matches or attend alongside friends and family.

“I don’t care if we spend £400 million in a transfer window and win the league, if I can’t be in that stadium with my friends and family because they’ve been banned or priced out, it doesn’t matter to me.”

He said he subsequently told Berrada that the club needed to “shift the balance to being fan-first”.

While Black described Berrada as respectful and warm during their conversation, he said he was left unconvinced that the club’s approach would change.

“He is a businessman whose seemingly only measurement of success is revenue and results on the pitch.”

Black’s comments come after a period in which INEOS’ cost-cutting programme has faced criticism from supporters.

One of the biggest flashpoints has been ticket pricing.

Manchester United increased the minimum price of certain members’ tickets to £66 in 2024 while removing concessions for children and pensioners on those tickets.

Season-ticket prices have also increased, adding to concerns among supporters about the affordability of attending matches at Old Trafford.

The club has defended its pricing decisions while arguing that difficult financial measures are necessary after years of significant losses and debt.

INEOS has also overseen substantial staff cuts since taking control of football operations.

Hundreds of Manchester United employees have been made redundant as part of efforts to reduce costs, while a number of long-standing benefits and arrangements have also been reviewed or removed.

Ratcliffe has repeatedly argued that United had become inefficient and needed to operate in a more financially sustainable manner.

However, critics have questioned whether some of those savings have come at the expense of the culture and identity surrounding the club.

Black’s concerns go beyond ticket prices and staffing.

He also questioned the current structure of supporter representation at Manchester United.

According to his letter, he believes substantial power has shifted away from the Fans’ Forum towards the Fans’ Advisory Board.

Black criticised the use of non-disclosure agreements and the lack of publicly minuted meetings, although he acknowledged that confidentiality is necessary when commercially sensitive information is being discussed.

He also said he repeatedly requested a dedicated youth position on the Fans’ Advisory Board.

His argument was that younger supporters should have a direct voice when decisions are made about the future of the club.

Black said his requests were rejected.

He subsequently stood for election through the Fans’ Forum route but was not elected.

The latest dispute involving Manchester United supporters also features heavily in Black’s reasoning.

Thousands of supporters have been affected by the club’s crackdown on suspected ticket touting and account misuse, with some season-ticket holders facing suspensions or cancellation threats.

The club’s position is that action is necessary to tackle ticket touting and protect genuine supporters.

However, the handling of individual cases has caused anger among sections of the fanbase, particularly where long-standing supporters believe they have been caught up in the process.

For Black, the situation demonstrated how damaged the relationship between Manchester United and its supporters has become.

“It is the clearest possible evidence that the current relationship between this club and its supporters is broken.”

He also addressed suggestions that he had personally mishandled confidential information, firmly denying that this was the case.

Despite resigning from the Fans’ Forum, Black stressed that he has no intention of walking away from supporter activism.

“So I’m stepping back from the Forum – not from the fight.”

He said he no longer believes his position on the Fans’ Forum is allowing him to properly represent supporters.

Black argued that the structure is no longer capable of effectively communicating what fans think and feel to the people making decisions at Manchester United.

However, he will continue his work with the Manchester United Youth Supporters Club and plans to work on a youth roadmap that he believes could help protect the future of the club’s support.

His closing message was a stark warning about the direction Manchester United is heading.

“Manchester United is in danger – not just on the pitch, but in its relationship with the people who have carried it for generations.”

Black ultimately described his resignation as a redirection rather than an end to his work.