Cantona attacks Ratcliffe’s immigration rant as he launches music career
On a rainy evening in Cork, the former France captain turned pop‑star Eric Cantona announced his first single, declaring ‘this is not a belated April Fools’, while simultaneously unleashing a scathing rebuke of Manchester United co‑owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe for the billionaire’s recent immigration remarks.
Ratcliffe's warning on immigration
Ratcliffe, the INEOS chief who was born in Failsworth, Greater Manchester and now lives in Monaco, told the BBC that the United Kingdom is ‘on the slide’ because of immigration, adding that ‘no one is tough enough to deal with’ the issue. He argued that the country needs politicians who are ‘tough enough to deal with some very difficult problems’, who understand the problems and will make decisions that benefit the nation rather than themselves or their party.
Earlier this year Ratcliffe told Sky News the UK had been ‘colonised by immigrants’, a statement that later prompted him to apologise, saying his choice of language had offended some people in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Cantona reflects on United and immigration
Eric Cantona arrived at Manchester United from Leeds United in 1992, a move that sparked a period of dominance for the club under Sir Alex Ferguson and cemented his status as a cult figure.
Later this week Cantona will perform a live interview in Cork, Ireland, after speaking to United supporter Pete Boyle in Belfast, where the 60‑year‑old was asked whether he would have joined United in 1992 had Ratcliffe been a co‑owner at Old Trafford; Cantona replied bluntly: ‘No.’
Cantona used the occasion to stress that football thrives on waves of immigration, citing his own family’s refugee background and a documentary he made, ‘French Football: An Immigrant History’, which highlighted players such as Raymond Kopa, the son of Polish immigrants, and noted that his mother was a Spanish refugee.
He labelled Ratcliffe’s remarks as unacceptable, saying he could not understand how an owner of the club could make such statements, and reiterated his belief that the sport’s greatest talents have always emerged from diverse immigrant origins.
The exchange underscores how former players can challenge owners on social issues, turning a football dispute into a broader conversation about national identity and immigration policy.