Sir Alex Ferguson, legendary former Manchester United manager, has been barred from entering the team’s dressing room by INEOS, the club’s sponsor. This decision follows Ferguson’s reported termination from his £2.61m ambassadorial role.
The Manchester United football board have been banned from going into the Manchester United dressing room at Old Trafford after matches
It comes after Ferguson had seen his multi-million-pound ambassadorial role stripped by the club’s new part owner INEOS as part of a wide-ranging cost-cutting programme.
The legendary Scot has been working as a global ambassador for United since leaving his managerial role 11 years ago. However, he will stop receiving his lucrative salary beyond the end of the current season as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting efforts.
On top of that, it has emerged that Ferguson will no longer be allowed to enter the Manchester United dressing room at Old Trafford after matches
According to the Daily Mail, he has been asked to stay away from the United dressing room as part of a change in policy.
United deny that they have directly banned Ferguson from the changing room but says there is now a ‘collective understanding’ over who goes inside.
It marks the end of a long-standing tradition at United, with dressing room visits having been part of the club’s culture for decades. In the past, the likes of David Gill, Mike Edelson and Sir Bobby Charlton were always welcome to go in and speak to players.
Ferguson was reportedly informed of the changes in a face-to-face meeting with Ratcliffe, who also told him that United were no longer in a position to commit to his annual salary. He is expected to remain a non-executive director at Old Trafford.