Man Utd owner Ratcliffe avoids charge by FA for ‘colonised’ comment

Manchester United owner Jim Ratcliffe has apologised if people were offended by UK ‘colonised ⁠by immigrants’ comment.Published On 20 Feb 2026Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has been reminded of his “responsibilities as a participant in English football” after he triggered a storm of criticism for claiming the United Kingdom had been “colonised” by immigrants.But England’s Football Association will not be charging Ratcliffe over his comments, which were widely condemned by political figures, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the club’s supporters.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Legal doping in sport: Records or Ethics?list 2 of 4Ukraine to boycott Paralympic Games ceremony due to Russian participationlist 3 of 4Pakistan target T20 World Cup title ahead of New Zealand Super 8s openerlist 4 of 4Italy opposes Paralympics allowing Russia and Belarus to use flags, anthemsend of listThe governing body issued Ratcliffe with a reminder of his responsibilities when taking part in media interviews, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.British billionaire Ratcliffe, who owns petrochemicals giant INEOS, made the comments during an interview with Sky News, which aired last week.“You can’t have an economy with 9 million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” he said. “I mean, the UK’s been colonised.”Ratcliffe’s comments touched a nerve in the UK, where immigration is a divisive issue. He later said he was sorry his choice of language had “offended some people.”Starmer had earlier called for him to apologise, saying, “Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country.”United fans, who are proud of the diversity within the team and its supporter base, also condemned his words.The Manchester United Supporters Trust said the “senior leadership should make inclusion easier, not harder”.