Reason Why Man Utd reject Premier League kick-off time as Sir Jim Ratcliffe battles mounting fan anger

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is facing mounting anger from Manchester United fans (Image: PA)

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s policies have caused Manchester United to face growing fan ire, and club officials run the risk of escalating those tensions.

The kickoff time for Manchester United’s trip to Fulham next month has been rescheduled from 12pm to 7pm by the club’s management.

United has had a terrible season, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the domineering co-owner, is coming under increasing criticism from the supporters. Since replacing the Glazers, Ratcliffe has laid off 250 employees, canceled the club’s Christmas party, and fired Dan Ashworth this week after only five months in his position as sporting director.

By establishing a minimum ticket price of £66 for adults, children, and elderly, the billionaire has also turned to fans to save money and contribute revenue. Before the victory over Everton, the fans demonstrated their emotions.

By aggressively pursuing a later kick-off time for the trip to Craven Cottage, club executives now run the risk of escalating those tensions. An earlier lunchtime kickoff time was offered to them, but they turned it down.

According to The Times, United protested since their Europa League match against Rangers will conclude just sixty-two hours before to a kickoff at 12 p.m. According to reports, club executives want more time for players to recover.

The 2 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. timeslots were previously reserved for Sky Sports games, therefore they were unavailable. The late Sunday evening time slot was the only one still open, but the Premier League has maintained that it is merely a backup time and won’t be a regular time slot.

United reportedly refused to playing at midday in London because they feel that players need at least 72 hours to recover. Following the game on Sunday night, supporters won’t be able to travel from London to Manchester by rail.

Supporters protested against Ratcliffe’s ownership ahead of the win over Everton ( Image: Getty Images)

However, supporters would not have been able to make it to Fulham by train in time if the game had started at noon. It is anticipated that United will provide fans with discounted transportation to the Fulham game.

The United game’s schedule has drawn criticism from the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA). The group has argued that the Sunday evening time slot is “really unpopular” due to the restrictions of public transportation and the fact that it is not appropriate for families.

According to a spokeswoman, “Sunday evening kick-off is really unpopular with match-goers because there aren’t many public transportation options and it’s not good for families with young children.” The Premier League informed us that the general slot was a “contingency” when it was announced.

However, it appears to be being used a lot for this kind of provision. Allowing broadcasters to select “conditional” picks that are subsequently moved when a club advances in Europe is a major contributing factor to the issue.

“The Premier League prioritizes broadcasters by letting them choose these games even though they are fully aware that conditional picks are likely to be rescheduled.”