Sir Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United board have been restricted from entering the dressing room at Old Trafford after matches. This follows the removal of Ferguson’s lucrative ambassadorial role by the club’s new part-owner, INEOS, as part of a cost-cutting initiative.
Ferguson, who has served as a global ambassador for Manchester United since his retirement 11 years ago, will lose his substantial salary at the end of the current season due to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s cost-saving measures. Additionally, it has been reported that Ferguson will no longer be allowed in the team’s dressing room post-match at Old Trafford, with the club implementing a new policy change.
While Manchester United has denied an outright ban on Ferguson, they confirmed there is now a “collective understanding” of who is permitted inside the dressing room. This policy change ends a long tradition at United, where key figures like David Gill, Mike Edelson, and Sir Bobby Charlton were regularly welcomed to address the players.
Ferguson was reportedly informed of these changes in a face-to-face meeting with Ratcliffe, during which he was also told that the club could no longer maintain his annual salary. Despite this, Ferguson is expected to continue in his role as a non-executive director at Old Trafford.