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What happens when you put a boyhood fan in charge of their club?

They discover it’s not so simple to run after all. And the fans you sat with many years ago are as impatient as ever.

Anger reverberates exactly a year since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS organisation gained day-to-day control of football operations at Manchester United.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United. Manchester United owners, the Glazer family, announced last November they were conducting a strategic review, with the sale of United one option being considered. Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe have bid to buy United, with both parties visiting the club this week. Picture date: Friday March 17, 2023.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Old Trafford.
Pic: PA

Fans are furious about ticket price rises.

A charity helping former players has had funding slashed.

And rank-and-file staff – many loyal for years without Premier League salaries – have been swept out with 250 redundancies and warnings of more to come.

Sir Jim has taken the unpopular – but he would argue necessary – decisions to put the club on a healthier financial footing all while INEOS injected an additional £80m.

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The Glazers

Being the face of cost-cutting and eradicating excesses can be reputationally damaging while the American family, still with the majority ownership, drift even deeper into the shadows.

The Glazers are blamed for the malaise and the debt burdened on a club that is one of the biggest money-makers in world football.

Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer.
Pic: AP/Craig Mercer/CSM
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Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer.
Pic: AP/Craig Mercer/CSM

Joel Glazer.
Pic: AP/Phelan M. Ebenhack
Image:
Joel Glazer.
Pic: AP/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Just this week, United’s financial update to the New York Stock Exchange revealed they are set to make more than £650m this season.

But it also showed that the debt has climbed over £730m and has now cost more than £1bn to service in the last two decades.

Money has drained out of the club – to the Glazers – rather than, perhaps, being invested in Old Trafford upgrades or a new stadium as rivals have built glitzier, more lucrative venues.

Sky News US correspondent Mark Stone confronted executive co-chairman Avram Glazer over what has been a difficult year for the Red Devils.

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Avram Glazer says he won’t sell Man Utd

When asked whether he would sell up the American businessman said: “No.”

He remained silent when asked if he was worried Sir Jim had made things worse, and also didn’t respond when asked if the Glazers should be facing more blame – as opposed to Sir Jim.

The British businessman bought a 27.7% stake in the club in February last year and took control of sporting operations. He later increased it to 29% but the Glazers remain majority owners of the club.

Floundering on and off the pitch

INEOS are now playing catch-up, trying to accelerate much-needed infrastructure upgrades, particularly at the training ground, which saw the women’s team temporarily pushed out.

But United have not been short of cash to spend on players, for the men’s team.

They have the highest net spend of any English club since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 at over £1.2bn – but without being able to add to the 13th Premier League titles he won.

In the summer and winter transfer windows, INEOS oversaw the arrival of £200m worth of new talent for the men’s team.

And yet the team is in its worst shape ever in the Premier League.

Manchester United's Diogo Dalot, left, and Joshua Zirkzee after, another, recent loss.
Pic: AP/Ian Walton
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Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot, left, and Joshua Zirkzee after, another, recent loss.
Pic: AP/Ian Walton

They’ve never been this low during a season – down in 15th place with 12 defeats in 25 matches.

This against the backdrop of decisions that can be viewed as bungled or quickly acknowledging mistakes.

Erik ten Hag was kept on as men’s team manager in the summer after aborting a firing plan following their FA Cup win.

But he went anyway in October – a change that cost £21m when you factor in Ruben Amorim’s release fee from Lisbon club Sporting.

It wasn’t the only hefty compensation bill.

Their pick for sporting director – Dan Ashworth – cost around £2m to prize away from Newcastle United.

But then he was ditched after just five months which, we discovered yesterday in new accounts, cost another £4m.

Fan fury

No wonder the supporters’ trust who protested against the Glazers are now aghast at “mismanagement” by the new leadership while still loading much blame on the Florida-based family.

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And this while they are being asked to pay more to attend matches in fading facilities.

“Fans should not pay the price for a problem that starts with our crippling debt interest payments and is exacerbated by a decade or more of mismanagement,” the United Supporters’ Trust said.

“It’s time to freeze ticket prices and allow everyone – players, management, owners and fans – to get behind United and restore this club to where it belongs.”

INEOS – the petrochemicals giant that turned Sir Jim into a billionaire – has a lot of convincing to show they’re on the right path heading into year two at United.

And there could be the pain to come of seeing Liverpool match their record haul of 20 English titles.

Can INEOS rebuild a team and oversee the building of a new stadium without losing sight of the mission – to restore United’s greatness?

And the Glazers remain as tight-lipped as ever – but now flush with an extra £1.25bn from selling 29% to Sir Jim as he takes the heat.

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‘Physical threat’ from Iran on people living in UK has ‘increased significantly’, watchdog says

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'Physical threat' from Iran on people living in UK has 'increased significantly', watchdog says

The threat of physical attacks by Iran on people living in the UK has increased “significantly” since 2022, according to a new report by parliament’s intelligence watchdog.

Iran poses a “wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat” to the UK, according to the Intelligence and Security Committee.

It also said Iran’s intelligence services were “willing and able – often through third party agents – to attempt assassination within the UK, and kidnap from the UK”.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pic: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/West Asia News Agency/Reuters

The report said there have been 15 murder or kidnap attempts against British citizens or UK-based individuals since the beginning of 2022 and August 2023.

Sky News has approached the Iranian embassy for a comment.

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Millions of Iranians unite in mourning

The report authors add: “Whilst Iran’s activity appears to be less strategic and on a smaller scale than Russia and China, Iran poses a wide-ranging threat to UK national security, which should not be underestimated: it is persistent and crucially – unpredictable.”

The committee also says that while the threat is often focused on dissidents and other opponents to the regime, there is also an increased threat to Jewish and Israeli interests in the UK.

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The report warns that while Iran has not developed a nuclear weapon, it has taken steps towards that goal.

It found that Iran had been “broadly compliant” with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), aimed at limiting its nuclear ambitions.

But since Donald Trump withdrew from that deal in 2018, the report said the nuclear threat had increased and Tehran “had the capability to arm in a relatively short period”.

The UK government is also accused of “fire-fighting” rather than developing a real understanding of Iran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and military commanders watch as military equipment passes by during the National Army Day parade
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Iran’s president oversees a parade in Tehran in April showing off the country’s military hardware. Pic: West Asia News Agency/Reuters

An Iranian missile is seen during the National Army Day parade ceremony in Tehran
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Missiles are paraded through the capital during the recent National Army Day ceremony. Pic: West Asia News Agency/Reuters

The report says: “The government’s policy on Iran has suffered from a focus on crisis management, driven by concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme, to the exclusion of other issues.

“As one of our expert witnesses told the committee: ‘Strategy is not a word that I think has crossed the lips of policy makers for a while, certainly not in relation to Iran’.”

The committee concluded its evidence-taking in August 2023, the result of two years of work, but the report authors say their conclusions “remain relevant”.

But the report authors questioned whether UK sanctions against individuals would “in practice deliver behavioural change. Or in fact unhelpfully push Iran towards China”.

The committee also said the British government should consider proscribing the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), although some argue it would limit the UK’s ability to talk to and influence Iran.

Read more from Sky News:
Who is Iran’s supreme leader?
Defiant Khamenei makes appearance
Anger in Iran over US and Israeli strikes

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Responding to the report, a UK government spokesperson said: “The government will take action wherever necessary to protect national security, which is a foundation of our plan for change.

“We have already placed Iran on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme and introduced further sanctions against individuals and entities linked to Iran, bringing the total number of sanctions to 450.”

British security services say Tehran uses criminal proxies to carry out its work in Britain.

In December, two Romanians were charged after a journalist working for a Persian language media organisation in London was stabbed in the leg. In May, three Iranian men appeared in court charged with assisting Iran’s foreign intelligence service and plotting violence against journalists.

Earlier this year, the UK government said it would require the Iranian state to register everything it does to exert political influence in the UK, because of what it called increasingly aggressive activity.

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‘A constant game of cat and mouse’: Inside the crackdown on illegal moped delivery drivers

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'A constant game of cat and mouse': Inside the crackdown on illegal moped delivery drivers

The first thing you notice when immigration officers stop a possible illegal moped delivery driver is the speed in which the suspect quickly taps on their mobile.

“We’re in their WhatsApp groups – they’ll be telling thousands now that we’re here… so our cover is blown,” the lead immigration officer tells me.

“It’s like a constant game of cat and mouse.”

Twelve Immigration Enforcement officers, part of the Home Office, are joining colleagues from Avon and Somerset Police in a crackdown on road offences and migrants working illegally.

Police chase suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery drivers

The West of England and Wales has seen the highest number of arrests over the last year for illegal workers outside of London.

“It is a problem… we’re tackling it,” Murad Mohammed, from Immigration Enforcement, says. He covers all the devolved nations.

“This is just one of the operations going on around the country, every day of the week, every month of the year.”

Murad Mohammed from Immigration Enforcement
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Murad Mohammed, from Immigration Enforcement, says his team are attempting to tackle the issue

Just outside the Cabot Circus shopping complex, we stop a young Albanian man who arrived in the UK on the back of a truck.

He’s on an expensive and fast-looking e-bike, with a new-looking Just Eat delivery bag.

He says he just uses it for “groceries” – but the officer isn’t buying it. He’s arrested, but then bailed instantly.

A man inspects the Just Eat food delivery bag of a suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver

We don’t know the specifics of his case, but one officer tells me this suspected offence won’t count against his asylum claim.

Such is the scale of the problem – the backlog, loopholes and the complexity of cases – that trying to keep on top of it feels impossible.

This is one of many raids happening across the UK as part of what the government says is a “blitz” targeting illegal working hotspots.

Angela Eagle, the border security and asylum minister, joins the team for an hour at one of Bristol’s retail parks, scattered with fast food chains and, therefore, delivery bikes.

Angela Eagle, Minister for Border Security and Asylum
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Border security and asylum minister, Angela Eagle, speaks to Sky News

She says arrests for illegal working are up over the last year by 51% from the year before, to more than 7,000.

“If we find you working, you can lose access to the hotel or the support you have [been] given under false pretences,” she said.

“We are cracking down on that abuse, and we intend to keep doing so.”

A suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver being arrested

There are reports that asylum seekers can rent legitimate delivery-driver accounts within hours of arriving in the country – skipping employment legality checks.

Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat all told Sky News they’re continuing to strengthen the technology they use to remove anyone working illegally.

But a new Border Security Bill, working its way through Parliament, could see companies fined £60,000 for each illegal worker discovered, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to five years.

“I had them all in to see me last week and I told them in no uncertain terms that we take a very tough line on this kind of abuse and they’ve got to change their systems so they can drive it out and off their platforms,” the minister tells me.

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The gig economy – so prevalent in every city – creates another incentive for those wanting to risk their lives coming to the UK illegally.

More than 20,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel to the UK in 2025 – a record number at this point of the year.

A suspected illegal immigrant working as a delivery driver holds his helmet

For some of those who arrive, a bike and a phone provide a way to repay debts to gang masters.

There were eight arrests today in Bristol, one or two taken into custody, but it was 12 hours of hard work by a dozen immigration officers and the support of the police.

As two mopeds are pushed onto a low-loader, you can’t help but feel, despite the best intentions, that at the moment, this is a losing battle.

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This flimsy vessel carrying migrants could reach British waters in a few hours’ time

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This flimsy vessel carrying migrants could be hours away from reaching British waters

We see the boat from a distance – the orange of the life jackets reflected in the rising sun.

And as we draw closer, we can make out dozens of people crowded on board as it sets off from the shore, from a beach near Dunkirk.

There is no sign of any police activity on the shore, and there are no police vessels in the water.

Instead, the migrants crammed into an inflatable dinghy are being watched by us, on board a private boat, and the looming figure of the Minck, a French search and rescue ship that soon arrives.

Picture to go with Adam Parsons' eyewitness of migrants crossing on 10/07/25
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Minck, a French search and rescue ship, shadows the boat

The dinghy meanders. It’s not heading towards Britain but rather hugging the coast.

A few of the passengers wave at us cheerfully, but then the boat starts to head back towards the shore.

Picture to go with Adam Parsons' eyewitness of migrants crossing on 10/07/25
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Sky’s Adam Parsons at the scene

As it nears a different beach, we see a police vehicle – a dune buggy – heading down to meet it.

Normal practice is for French police officers to slice through the material of any of these small boats that end up back on shore.

Two police officers get out of the buggy and wait. A police helicopter arrives and circles above, performing a tight circle over the heads of the migrants.

The police think they might be about to go back on to the beach; in fact, these passengers know that most of them are staying put.

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The boat stops a short distance from the shore and four people jump out. As they wade towards the beach, the boat turns and starts to head back out to sea.

We see the two police officers approach these four men and have a brief conversation.

They don’t appear to check the bags they are carrying and, if they do question them about why they left the boat, it is the most cursory of conversations.

In reality, these people probably don’t speak French but they were almost certainly involved in arranging this crossing, which is against the law. But all four walk away, disappearing into the dunes at the back of the beach.

Read more:
Why do so many from around the world try to cross the Channel?
Channel crossings rise by 50% in first six months of 2025

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Why do migrants want to come to the UK?

We follow the boat as it chugs off in the direction of Britain, carrying around 50 people.

The Minck returns to shadowing its progress, but its job is limited to offering help if the boat gets into trouble.

Otherwise, if the engine keeps working, then this flimsy vessel will reach British waters in a few hours’ time.

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