Sir Jim Ratcliffe Slammed for Women Team Comments

Manchester United's new ownership under Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has admitted that their focus is on the men's first team has left the Manchester United women's side neglected in a few ways. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Sir Jim Ratcliffe stated, “We haven’t gone into that level of detail with the women’s football team yet. We’ve been pretty much focused on how do we resolve the first-team issues, in that environment, and that’s been pretty full-time for the first six months.”

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The lack of attention towards the women’s team has not gone unnoticed by fans who have expressed their disappointment on various social media platforms. Despite a section of fans defending Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s focus on stabilizing the environment around the men's team first, the language he used has drawn significant criticism. BBC journalist Emma Sanders pointed out, “The language used here doesn’t reflect well. This is still an issue across the sport. The men’s teams are often described as the ‘first team’ to those who don’t subconsciously see them on an even billing.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s comments come at a very crucial time for the women’s team, as several key players, including captain Katie Zelem and goalkeeper Mary Earps, are out of contract this summer. The lack of a focus for the women’s team has fans worried about the future of the women’s team, especially after their disappointing fifth-place finish in the Women’s Super League this season. The finish resonated with a similar dismissal campaign by the Men’s senior team who finished eighth in the league while crashing out of the Champions League group stages. However, both teams were able to win their respective FA Cup Finals to save the season from total devastation.

The comments by Sir Jim Ratcliffe's perceived lack of ambition for the women’s team has left fans frustrated and concerned about what lies ahead for the United ladies ahead of a crucial season.

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