Manchester United legends slam Sir Jim Ratcliffe for 'bizarre' ticket decision at Old Trafford

Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt have shared their thoughts on the ticket fiasco at Man Utd, which has angered supporters.

Nicky Butt believes rising ticket prices at Manchester United are "bizarre", while Ryan Giggs' friends have been informed they must relocate their season tickets after 25 years of attendance.

United made a controversial mid-season decision to raise matchday ticket prices to £66 per game in the Premier League, which meant no concessions for children or pensioners.

Fans protested against the ticket prices again before United's game against Arsenal earlier this month, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe was confronted by supporters at Craven Cottage in January, which led to the British billionaire being told he was "taking the p***" and was "worse than the Glazers".

Season ticket prices for 2025/2026 were announced this week and the majority have risen by five per cent, but pensioner discount has been halved from 50 per cent and fans are unhappy.

The fans who have attended Old Trafford the longest have been hit hardest by the season ticket announcement, and some families have been priced out by the £66 charge for Premier League games.

Foundation 92 is an independent charity founded by the Class of '92 and they raised £267,000 at a gala dinner in Manchester on Thursday evening, which was attended by Butt and Giggs.

Butt was asked about the 'sensitive' topic of ticket rises and responded: "It is, isn't it? I'm not an expert on it, I don't really look at it too much. But I just find it bizarre how they keep going up.

"They can't keep going up. Something’s got to stop, something's got to give. They've not got the added fall back of winning loads of medals. It's not as if we're putting loads of things in place, and we're buying the best players. We've got a massive budget to go to the transfer window, the stadium's great. The transportation around the stadium is great. Everything's not [great].

"I see where it's coming from. They are trying to balance the books, quite obviously. But they're punishing the wrong people, in my eyes, to try and balance the book.

"There are a lot of things I think they're doing wrong, but we all know that, and it's sad to see because I've loved Man Utd since I was six, and it's not the Man United that I know and loved."

United fans believe the atmosphere will suffer and have accused the club of wanting to replace local season ticket holders with more lucrative tourists. "A lot of people that can afford to go to the games, they're out-of-towners. They've got flying in from all over the world," said Butt.

"It's sad, but we had a lot of tourists come down when we played. It's great to see people from Norway, and Scandinavia, and all over the world - Ireland, obviously, and Scotland. That was when local lads and families could still come and watch. Now it's become that they can't. They are priced out."

A number of season ticket holders behind the dugout at Old Trafford have been told they must change location because hospitality seating will be introduced in that area to generate cash.

Club sources have said they "regret" the disruption, but there have been complaints made by the affected fans. "Man United is special because of what we've done on the pitch over a number of years. But the fans have always made the club. Without the fans, clubs aren't possible and Man United's no different," said Giggs.

"I can only speak from my mates who, and it's just been in the news, have been in the dugout for 25 years and they're getting turfed away. They don't know where they're going to go.

"That's not ticket prices, but that's just experience that I've had first-hand of friends just wondering where they're going to be. It's difficult. They've got the names on the seats. They've been there 25 years and they're having to move. It's tough to see the club in this sort of situation."

Speaking in an interview with the United We Stand magazine, Ratcliffe said that "it doesn't make sense" for a United ticket to cost less than a ticket to watch London club Fulham.

Ratcliffe was born in Failsworth, Greater Manchester, and he promised to “put Manchester back into Manchester United” when he officially acquired a minority stake in the club last year.

You can read more about Foundation 92 and their inaugural gala dinner here.