Manchester United have reportedly axed stewards’ bonuses in the latest round of cutbacks enforced by owners INEOS, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
There has been much made of recent spending cuts and penny-pinching by the new overlords at Old Trafford.
But it appears Sir Jim Ratcliffe has no intention of slowing down when it comes to slashing costs. Since his INEOS Group bought a 25% stake and took over footballing operations at Manchester United, there have been numerous money-saving measures brought in.
Staff’s food allowance has been reduced on match days, while VIP guests have seen their packages shrunk.
There have also been around 250 staff redundancies, as well as a rise in ticket prices.
The ruthlessness of Ratcliffe’s cuts has brought plenty of attention to United’s new ownership, most of it negative.
According to a report by The I, match-day stewards at Old Trafford are the latest victims of INEOS’ extreme cost-cutting.
Manchester United Stewards Lose Match Bonuses
Until now, match-day stewards at United games would receive a £100 bonus after every ten matches they worked.
This bonus system appears to have now been scrapped entirely. Also reportedly axed was a £50 bonus awarded to ‘steward of the week’.
The decision to remove these incentives comes despite stewards often being among the lowest-paid staff at a football club.
Those charged with managing the crowd during games have traditionally received a £100 bonus for every 10 matches they worked at, a notion now seemingly scrapped.
Former Old Trafford Steward Speaks Out
United’s decision to slash spending has not been without its critics. Frank Robinson is one of those who has spoken out against Ratcliffe’s cuts.
The former Old Trafford steward left his position due to his anger at how United were treating many of the club’s lowest paid staff.
Robinson told The I: “A lot of stewards are leaving since Ratcliffe came in.
“Up until last year they used to get an attendance bonus. Every 10 matches we did, we got a £100 bonus. Now they said you’re not having that. So they stopped that completely. For many years you’d have a steward of the week.
“That was someone nominated or fans wrote in and said how well this steward had done. You got £50 for that. Now they still have steward of the week, but they have no award. It’s very petty for a football club. You’re pinching off people at the bottom of the ladder.”
The 67-year-old added that many of his former colleagues were also leaving as a result of their poor treatment.
“Supervisors and stewards who’ve been at United for years are packing it in,” he said.
“Some stewards in their 70s, they’re putting them into the top tier of the North Stand because they know they won’t like it and they’ll leave. They can bring more agency staff in. They’re trying to force them out.”
Despite cutting funding in numerous areas, United had a net spend of more than £100 million on summer signings.
The Red Devils’ wage budget for the current season is estimated at around £185m, while former manager Erik ten Hag was paid a reported £16m in compensation following his sacking in October.
