Manchester United is prepared to undergo administrative changes in club management under the guidance of the British consortium led by billionaire businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe. He is the owner and CEO of the INEOS group and is set to complete the acquisition of a 1/4 ownership stake in the club.
The Premier League club’s recent rough season and the underperforming players have sparked quite the debate. Everyone’s pointing fingers at the Glazers family and the top administrative heads. Rumor has it that the higher-ups and CEO Richard Arnold are about to get a one-way ticket to the land of unemployment. Will they be able to weather this storm? Only time will tell!
Who is Jean-Claude Blanc?
Jean-Claude Blanc is a French sporting executive and businessman with a wealth of experience in the sporting industry. He has previously been involved in the management of two of the biggest clubs in Italy and France, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively.
Blanc served as CEO and President of Italian giant Juventus from 2006 to 2010. The following year, he was a part of the club’s board, where he is regarded for attracting investment in the construction of the Allianz Arena, making Juventus the first privately owned club in Italy.
In 2012, he later joined PSG as their new Chief Executive Officer and served for nearly a decade, contributing to making the French club one of the world’s biggest and most popular teams under the ownership of Qatar Sports Investments. He left the post in 2022 and is currently working closely with Sir Jim Ratcliffe at his venture, INEOS as their Sporting CEO.
Jean-Claude has also worked alongside British cycling performance director Sir Dave Brailsford. Brailsford oversees the sporting aspects, while Blanc focuses on business and branding. The 60-year-old is poised to join Manchester United’s top management.
Blanc leading candidate to become new Manchester United CEO under Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority ownership takeover is reported to be officially announced in the upcoming weeks after the Qatari bidder Shiekh Jassim withdrew from the takeover process. Despite holding only a 25% share of the club, the INEOS CEO will have full control of Manchester United’s sporting management and operations.
Jim Ratcliffe and his partner Dave Brailsford plan to change the top management, with Dougie Freedman being considered for the role of the new sporting director at Old Trafford. The Duo is also considering their ally and trusted sporting executive, Jean Claude Blanc to replace Richard Arnold as the new CEO of Manchester United. The INEOS group already owns various other sports ventures, such as the French club OGC Nice and the Swiss club Lausanne-Sport, indicating an expansion of their portfolio with the Premier League club.
