The festive atmosphere of Christmas is all over the world, and even the Premier League is no exception. The Athletic revealed that Manchester United made a policy change to their Christmas program last year, canceling the original £250,000 Christmas celebration, a move that provoked a strong reaction from the players. Captain Nandis even offered to pay for the event out of his own pocket, but the club flatly refused.
Last Christmas, new Manchester United boss Ratcliffe took over and quickly introduced a series of saving measures, incurring the discontent of the team. Initially, United held a huge Christmas party every year, where players gathered with staff and their families. But chief executive Berrada announced in advance that the party would be canceled this year, a decision that has caused some staff to privately lament the cancellation, reportedly for the very reason of saving that quarter of a million pounds.
The Christmas party has traditionally been seen as a symbol of United's unity and The Athletic have revealed that captain Nandis tried to salvage the tradition, unfortunately United still turned down his request to host a Christmas party at his own expense. The club felt that a mass celebration seemed out of place after last year's redundancy fiasco.
Ratcliffe's austerity policies sparked widespread controversy when he took over. In addition to laying off 250 staff, he removed legendary coach Ferguson as a publicity ambassador, ended the work-from-home policy, and cut perks such as free coffee and stadium transfers, a series of moves that demoralized United.
