FA to issue Sir Jim Ratcliffe with letter as Man United chief wrapped up in ‘inflammatory’ controversy
The FA are set to write a letter to Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe after his recent comments regarding immigration in the UK.
That is according to ex-FIFA referee and former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett, who has exclusively told Football Insider that the governing body for English football will seek “observations” from Ratcliffe as part of an ongoing investigation into his comments.
The 73-year-old hit the headlines on Wednesday for suggesting that the UK is being “colonised by immigrants” during an interview with Sky journalist Ed Conway, and there has been a huge backlash to his comments.
Ratcliffe has already come under scrutiny for a number of his actions since taking control of Manchester United back in February 2024, and the FA are currently looking into his comments.
The FA are keen to avoid ‘expensive legal challenge’ with Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe’s comments have been quickly condemned by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who has labelled the businessman’s remarks as “inaccurate and inflammatory,” whilst also suggesting that they go against “everything for which Manchester has traditionally stood.”
Burnham called for the Old Trafford chief to withdraw his statements, and while Ratcliffe has issued an apology on Thursday, it will be far from the end of the matter.
The FA are already looking into the incidents, in order to judge whether his remarks are discriminatory or bring the game into disrepute, according to The Times.
Hackett feels that part of their inquest will entail the governing body writing a letter to Ratcliffe to get his side of the story, while he also expects that the FA will want to avoid getting into a legal battle.
“I suggest that the FA will write to Ratcliffe and seek his observations whilst they are making noises about an investigation,” Hackett exclusively told Football Insider.
“They will not want to get involved in an expensive legal challenge with him over this.”
Immigration comments are not Ratcliffe’s only unsavoury moment of late
Ratcliffe has been catapulted into the national spotlight after his purchase of a stake in United in 2024, and he has often been at the centre of attention for the wrong reasons.
The co-owner made several cuts to the operational staff behind the scenes at United throughout 2025, as he drastically redued the workforce in place at Old Trafford, making hundreds of people redundant in the process.
Ratcliffe was heavily criticised for the way that he used his power on that occasion, and he has faced vitriol once again for his actions this week.
This time around, he could potentially face a telling punishment from the FA, who are sure to take every angle of the incident into account before reaching a decision.