Manchester United CEO: New Stadium Causes Risk For Team Competitiveness

JAKARTA - Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada has admitted that the club is at risk of falling behind its competitors as they invest in new stadiums.

The Red Devils announced plans for Tuesday, March 11, 2025, to leave Old Trafford, their home for 115 years, and move to a new stadium with a capacity of 100,000 seats.

The proposal includes an estimated cost of around 2 billion pounds which is certainly a significant pressure on finances that have been burdened after posting losses of more than 300 million pounds over the past three years.

Both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are struggling to stay competitive on the pitch as they build new stadiums.

However, there is a different possibility for Manchester United. Berrada accepts that the money available to strengthen the squad may be affected when the project is financed.

"It's risky. Obviously it's something we want to avoid. We don't want to hinder our ability to invest in the team so we can continue to compete while building a new stadium," Berrada said on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, local time.

Berrada confirmed that Manchester United would not ask taxpayers for money to fund the stadium, but said the club was actively looking for investors.

The goal is to move to their new home within five years before the 2030-2031 season. Work can start before the end of the year although Berrada says it will be based on a planning permit and how quickly local authorities can work.

Berrada further also explained how the club could announce ambitious plans for a new stadium just a day after the club's minority shareholder, Sir Jim Radcliffe, said the money would run out by the end of 2025 without any major cost cuts.

"All the plans we have made over the past few months really address the short-term problem, namely that the club is at a loss."

"Everything we do and many of these decisions are difficult. We don't want to see people lose their jobs."

"Once we stop losing money, we put ourselves in the best financial position to continue investing in our team and make it possible to have ambitions to build a new stadium," Berrada said.

Meanwhile, despite the difficult start for Ruben Amorim as head coach, Berrada said he would love to open a new stadium with the Portuguese coach.