Manchester United chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has once again declined to attend the Women's FA Cup final for the second year in a row.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Man Utd made final for second year in rowLost to Chelsea year on from Spurs triumphRatcliffe absent for both matches in capitalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Red Devils could not replicate their success in the competition, having beaten Tottenham at Wembley last season. This time, Women's Super League champions and now treble-winners Chelsea dismantled Marc Skinner's side, away from the watchful eye of the INEOS boss, who opted to skip the game for the second year in a row.
AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Ratcliffe's absence is surprising considering he attended the men's loss to Chelsea in London on Friday night. He has had a minimal role in any project relating to the women's team, despite their success in recent years.
WHAT SKINNER SAID
In the aftermath of the final defeat, head coach Marc Skinner was asked why Ratcliffe opted not to attend the match. He said: "In all honesty, I don’t know why he wasn’t here.
"But I feel we were well represented. Omar was here, the Glazer family, Jason is up there. Those are the people I deal with everyday. That’s the people I need to be here, because they need to be able to look at what we need to do to close a growing gap in finance that Chelsea have created.
“The reality is that it’s the investment in the team that needs to happen. It’s not whether you’re visible. I get you the representation, the visibility is how you see investment, but as long as I play the team are being invested in, that is also a way of showing your support for the team."
AFPWHAT NEXT?
It would not be surprising to see Ratcliffe jet off to Bilbao for United's Europa League against Tottenham next week. For the women's side, their season is already over and they have picked up a third-placed finish in the WSL.