Manchester United appoint two new directors and announce Richard Arnold departure

Manchester United have appointed two new directors following the completion of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment in the club.

INEOS co-founder John Reece and INEOS Sport chairman Rob Nevin have both been confirmed as board members.

It has also been announced that former chief executive Richard Arnold resigned from the board last week. After a short stint in the role he stepped down in November 2023, but remained on the board of directors until he handed in his resignation letter on February 15 of this week.

An SEC Filings announcement released on Wednesday morning read: “Effective as of immediately following the time at which the Closing became effective (the “Effective Time”), two individuals designated by Purchaser—John Reece and Rob Nevin—were appointed as members of the board of directors of the Company in accordance with the terms of the Transaction Agreement.

“In addition, effective as of immediately following the Effective Time, Richard Arnold resigned from the board of directors in accordance with the terms of a resignation letter delivered by Mr. Arnold to the Company on February 15, 2024. Mr. Arnold previously stepped down from his role as chief executive officer of the Company in November 2023.”

Reece and Nevin are both Sir Jim Ratcliffe sidekicks and they will now feature on the United board of directors. Sadly, the other seats in the board of directors are mostly Glazers. That includes Avram, Joel, Kevin, Bryan, Darcie and Edward.

Patrick Stewart and Cliff Baty are also on the board, along with independent directors Robert Leitao, Manu Sawhney, and John Hooks.

INEOS will now take complete control of football operations at Old Trafford.

That should mean more recruits for the recruitment team. Dan Ashworth has been tipped for the sporting director role, and he will then join Omar Berrada as chief executive.

Having the likes of Reece and Nevin on the board of directors will give Ratcliffe more sway if and when he needs to deal with the Glazers. United fans will hope that this is the beginning of the end for the American family at the club.

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