Manchester United, one of the most prestigious football clubs in the world, recently found itself in a rather awkward situation. The club had asked its crosstown rivals, Manchester City, to give their players a lift to the upcoming Ballon d’Or ceremony as part of their latest cost-cutting efforts. However, this plan backfired when City declined the request.
In an attempt to save on expenses associated with hiring a private jet for their players attending the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Manchester United approached Man City with an unusual proposition. With eight of City's stars nominated for the prestigious Golden Ball gong and already having chartered a plane for France following their Premier League clash against Southampton this weekend, it seemed like a logical move.
Manchester United has two players nominated and according to Daily Mail reports - they did indeed ask if there was room on Man City’s plane for them.
Response from Man City
However, this request was met with rejection from Man City chiefs. As a result of this denial by their rivals, Manchester United had no choice but to arrange separate travel arrangements for its two nominated players.
United sources told that they were keen on avoiding chartering a private jet due to environmental concerns. They also mentioned that it is common practice among clubs in north-west England to share private jets when necessary such as during international duty returns.
INEOS' cost-cutting drive
This incident comes amidst ongoing cost-cutting measures initiated by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team since he took office in spring. These measures have included slashing 250 jobs at the club and removing club credit cards along with withdrawing free travel privileges for staff members during May’s FA Cup final. One significant decision under these austerity measures was axing Sir Alex Ferguson from his paid ambassadorial role at the club, a move that saved the club £2.16 million per year but was met with widespread disapproval.
In total, ten stars from the Premier League made it onto the final list of Ballon d’Or nominees. Man City's representatives include Rodri, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Ruben Dias. Aston Villa’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez is also nominated along with Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice of Arsenal and Cole Palmer of Chelsea.
Man City also has three players nominated in the Women’s category - Yui Hasegawa, Lauren Hemp and Khadija Shaw - while Savinho has been nominated for the Kopa Trophy for best player under 21. United starlets Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo have been nominated for this same award.
