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ALEX FERGUSON WILL step away from his ambassador role with Manchester United at the end of the season as part of a club cost-cutting exercise.
The Scot won 38 trophies at United during a managerial reign spanning nearly 27 years, including 13 Premier League titles and two European Cups.
The PA news agency understands Ferguson has reached an amicable agreement with the club to cease his ambassador duties when the season ends.
The news of the arrangement with Ferguson, which was first reported by The Athletic, is part of a wider cost-cutting exercise by United under Ineos, which has had responsibility for football operations at the club since its founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed the purchase of a 27.7% stake earlier this year.
Ferguson turns 83 in December, and the ambassador role is understood to be one of a number of time-consuming duties he is planning to give up.
Club sources say there was no acrimony over this matter, with Ratcliffe having met Ferguson face to face to say the club could no longer sustain the ambassador payments. The Athletic reported Ferguson was listed as having received £2.16million for his ambassador duties in United’s 2014 accounts.
Ferguson always remains welcome at Old Trafford, United sources said, and he will remain a non-executive director of the football club board.
Last month United posted losses of £113.2 million (€135.8m) for the year ending 30 June 2024, but the club insisted they are compliant with the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) where breaches are punishable by points deductions.
The club are working to put themselves on a more sustainable financial footing and have instigated a number of cost-saving measures, including a redundancy programme which cut 250 jobs from headcount across all departments by the end of August. The club said in their year-end accounts that they anticipate severance charges related to the redundancies will cost around £10m (12m).
The cost-saving measures taken together are expected to save between £40m-45m (€48m-€54m) in total and the club anticipate that will have a positive impact on United’s financial results for 2025 and 2026.
Written by Press Association and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else.
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Ambassador Role is just a fancy term for getting paid for f all
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: he is a drunk
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: Probably need an interpreter going around with him!
His advice on managerial appointments and the power managers have over transfers is the primary reason why man united are no longer a force.
@Argus Romsworth: spot on mate. He left the club in ruins imo. Utd should never have sanctioned both him and Gill going. They should have planned better and moyes changed too much when he came in and now it’s like butlins
Sinn Féin’s fault
@Brian D’Arcy: Must be hurting you deep.
Like all soccer “clubs” Manchester United is a commercial operation that soaks it’s customer base for as much as they’re willing to spend.
@Paddy Whelan: Yes, it’s a business with shareholders. Show me a business that doesn’t care about profiting from its customer base and I’ll show you a business that’s headed for bankruptcy.
Sir Alex got the order of the boot.
Roy Keane next manager.
@Wibbly Wobbly: yes please as he’s a brutal manager
I’m 100% behind this
How about remove Erik Ten Hag? Man Utd are like Irish Soccer, painful to watch
They’re a circus act of a club, banter Utd
@Quinny: as crazy as it seems they are just a banter club now!
@damien leen: Won two cups.
@Daniel Roche: Ten Hag 2nd only to Pep (lol)
He was basically getting hush money. Should be entertaining when he spills the beans about how sordid that club is
@M To The B: hardly will if he’s staying on as a non executive director.
Two long there should had been gone long ago
@Alan Moloney: cluxton is worth a shout
@Buster Lawless: club in a mess if day want to know all about winning as Dublin gaa
Come on Roy …
Nows your chance son
Could have cut the pay of their so called footballers who are stealing a living
He cannot help them, they are poison.
Cluxton was the best ever goalie.
Is Ten Hags Harry Potter wand up for sale?
Stop signing donkeys if you want to save money
Fantastic to see even better the news he and the board banned from the dressing rooms. Freeloaders the lot of them
Free transfer?
Cost cutting when the Glazers have been bleeding the club since they “bought “ it. I don’t like Utd but they are the root cause of all their current woes, not the manager or the players. Fergie deserves utmost respect
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