The latest news from Old Trafford has it that Sir Alex Ferguson and the Manchester United football board have been asked not to enter the dressing room at Old Trafford – breaking a tradition that stretches back to the days of Sir Matt Busby.
Earlier on Tuesday it emerged that Ferguson had been terminated from his multi-million pound global ambassadorial role by the club’s new part owner INEOS, as part of a wide-ranging cost-cutting program.
And Mail Sport reveals that in a further, controversial move Ferguson – the most successful manager in the club’s history – will no longer enter the inner sanctum following matches as part of a change in policy.
However the United hierarchy deny that they have directly banned Ferguson from the changing room but say there is now a ‘collective understanding’ over who goes inside.
Customarily visits to the dressing room have been part of the club’s culture for decades. Ferguson and fellow football board members David Gill and Mike Edelson were always welcome, as were the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton and former director Maurice Watkins, before their demise.
Ferguson, who won 38 trophies in 26 years, had penned a deal following his retirement in 2013 to continue as a global club ambassador and director. In 2014 accounts indicated that United paid Ferguson, 82, £2.16m for his services.
United’s football board is culturally a ceremonial body, an entity separate frpm the official board, which includes the six Glazer siblings.
INEOS have launched a series of massive cuts since they took a minority share in the club earlier this year. As Mail Sport revealed, they made 250 redundancies across departments. Ferguson was informed of the changes in a face-to-face meeting at Old Trafford with INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ferguson will nevertheless remain as a non-executive director and will retain his place in the director’s box and table for eight which he hosts at home matches.