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The latest executive changes to the structure at Manchester United after the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe have been announced.
While the departure of Patrick Stewart, who was just a placeholder till Omar Berrada came in was expected although a bit earlier than expected, the second change has huge ramifications for the future of the club.
United’s Chief Financial Officer Cliff Baty is leaving and in his place will arrive Roger Bell, the INEOS CFO with more than 40 years of experience in the field of finance.
Not only was this move never mooted to be in the works, but it directly conflicts with the parameter of the deal made by Sir Jim Ratcliffe to take a stake in the club.
Under the terms of the deal, as is in the public domain, Sir Jim was going to be in control of sporting matters while the financial side of the club was still under the Glazers.
Every appointment before Bell’s was in that direction, especially the potential arrival of Dan Ashworth and the signing of Jason Wilcox.
However, it is curious to see an INEOS man take over what is the top “financial” job at the club.
The role of the Chief Financial Officer is extremely delineated from sporting matters and performances on the pitch.
It is why Cliff Baty was a name rarely heard of by fans whenever there were talks about United’s poor performances and structure.
The brunt would always be borne by Director of Football John Murtough or the then CEOs Richard Arnold or Ed Woodward.
Baty would only be heard from when United held conference calls with investors to inform them of the latest financial condition of the club.
No sporting matters would be decided by the CFO which is why this appointment signifies only one of two things, both monumental.
Either Sir Jim Ratcliffe is already overreaching his authority at the club, which means Glazers’ power is a lot less than first thought when the deal was confirmed.
Or, there is a lot more to this deal that is not known and the public briefings were a way for everyone to save face while most of the power is already in Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s hands.
Either way, this appointment, likely to be the least glamorous in the long run, has the potential to be the most significant one in the “new era”.
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