Sir Jim Ratcliffe cut a glum figure as he watched Nice lose to Roma in their Europa League opener on Wednesday night.
British billionaire Ratcliffe, 72, owns the French side and Swiss outfit Lausanne-Sport alongside his position as a co-owner of Manchester United.
In August 2019, the INEOS group overseen by his leadership acquired Nice. Despite this, the success has been varied, with the team achieving its best Ligue 1 finish at fourth place, while their most notable European success was reaching the Conference League quarter-finals in the 2023-24 season.
In that match, Evan Ndicka and Gianluca Mancini scored for the Italian team, putting them in the lead. Although Terem Moffi managed to score a goal for Nice, Roma ultimately secured the victory with a 2-1 finish.
And as the cameras panned to the crowd, Ratcliffe looked less than impressed.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe cut a glum figure as he watched Nice lose to Roma in their Europa League tie
Ratcliffe has previously been criticised for his failure to watch the French side, who he owns
Ratcliffe, who has admitted to previous missteps with the club, landed himself in controversy earlier when he criticized Nice and French football in general.
He stated, ‘I don’t really enjoy watching Nice play. There are some talented players, but the level of football doesn’t excite me.’
This had frustrated manager Franck Haise, who defiantly hit back at his owner.
‘The article that [the comments] appeared in was a lot more complete than that. But he hasn’t seen a Nice match this season,’ Haise explained.
A perspective suggests he was speaking from a past viewpoint. The current team aims to enhance the club’s progress and achieve better outcomes.
He then added: ‘It’s not that serious. We can be annoyed, that’s obvious.
The sentiment remains: holding onto frustration isn’t beneficial. The focus should be on working diligently, enjoying the process, and striving for the best. It’s important to move forward and continue our journey.
Nice currently sit 12th in Ligue 1 and their squad includes former Premier League stars Jeremie Boga, Tanguy Ndombele and Morgan Sanson.
Roma won the match 2-1 thanks to goals from Evan Ndicka (above) and Gianluca Mancini
Ratcliffe has been heavily involved at United but he has endured a difficult start as co-owner
Meanwhile, speaking last year, Ratcliffe admitted that Ineos had ‘made a lot of c**k-ups’ at Nice and Lausanne, who they bought in 2017.
‘We’ve made some really stupid decisions in both those clubs,’ he said. ‘There are a lot of organisations in the world where, if you make a mistake, you get shot, so nobody ever puts their head above the parapet.
‘But at INEOS, we don’t mind people making mistakes – but please don’t make it a second time.
‘So with that, we’re much less than sympathetic when they make the same mistake twice.
‘We have made mistakes in football, so I’m really pleased that we made those mistakes before we arrived here at Manchester United.
‘If we hadn’t, this would be a much tougher job for us. Because it is huge and it’s very exposed.’
Ratcliffe’s record at United has left a lot to be desired since he became a part-owner in February 2024, with the 72-year-old embarking on a brutal cost-cutting process at the club, while on pitch performances are yet to improve.
He does remain heavily involved though, and last week flew in for talks with under pressure head coach Ruben Amorim following the Red Devils’ difficult start to the season.
