Sir Jim Ratcliffe loses plot with bombshell warning to Newcastle United and Premier League

Manchester United minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe has warned Premier League clubs “they need to be careful” of “disadvantaging” the biggest clubs in the division.

As it stands, all 20 shareholders receive an equal split of domestic TV money. However, since 2019-20, overseas revenue has been weighted to favour those who finish higher up the table.

This was viewed as a big win for the traditional “big six” clubs who had argued in favour of an increased cut. Ineos billionaire Ratcliffe has not been scared to voice his opinion since acquiring a 28 per cent stake in the Red Devils.

The 71-year-old has publicly slammed Newcastle United for maintaining their hardball stance over Dan Ashworth. Man United and the Magpies are yet to agree a compensation package for the sporting director.

Ratcliffe has now admitted he is still “getting used” to the Premier League - while advocating for the bigger clubs to have more power. He told Bloomberg: “I’m still quite understanding how the Premier League works. I think everyone has an equal vote. 

“There used to be, I believe as it was explained to me, a coalition of the six major clubs would have a certain level of influence. But that broke down after the European Super club (League) initiative. 

“They need to be careful that the top six clubs are not disadvantaged because they don’t get a reasonably strong say in that committee. At the end of the day, it’s those top six or seven clubs that drive the Premiership and are what the world is interested in.