Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to attend Manchester United's FA Cup final ...
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to attend Manchester United’s men’s FA Cup final against rivals Manchester City this weekend.
United will face City at Wembley Stadium this Saturday in what will be a repeat of last season’s final, where Pep Guardiola’s side emerged as 2-1 winners.
Ratcliffe attended United’s men’s FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City in April after completing the London Marathon, but was criticised for not appearing at the Women’s FA Cup final, where United beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-0.
The 71-year-old was instead in attendance for United’s 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League, alongside Sir Dave Brailsford, while co-owner Avram Glazer was in London to see the women lift the FA Cup for the first time in their history.
The club said that several senior representatives from INEOS, the petrochemicals company which Ratcliffe owns, were at Wembley including chief financial officer (CFO) Roger Bell — who took up the same role at United earlier this month — and directors Tom Crotty, Jill Dolan, Debra Smeeton and Pete Williams. Ratcliffe also sent a message of good luck to the women’s team and manager Marc Skinner ahead of that match.
It is unclear whether any other board members will attend the final on May 25.
United reached the FA Cup final after defeating Coventry 4-2 in penalties following a 3-3 draw after extra time. On their route, they also defeated Liverpool 4-3 in a dramatic quarter-final clash at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag’s side are looking to lift the trophy for the first time since 2016. They finished eighth in the Premier League this season.
GO DEEPER
Manchester United and a blueprint to trouble Manchester City in the FA Cup final
(Robin Jones/Getty Images)
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Dan Sheldon is a football news reporter for The Athletic, covering Manchester City and Manchester United. He spent four years writing about Southampton FC, two of which were at the Southern Daily Echo. Follow Dan on Twitter @dansheldonsport
