Given that he’s so willing to discuss his northern heritage when it suits, it’s likely that even someone as detached as Sir Jim Ratcliffe is aware of the acclaimed Jimmy McGovern TV drama, ‘Cracker’. He could do with a watch, if not.

In the first episode of the series most famous storyline, the ‘To Be A Somebody’ arc primarily about the social and psychological effects of Hillsborough, there’s a scene when the premises of a white nationalist group in Manchester are raided.

Amid the chaos, the character played by Christopher Eccleston, DCI David Billborough, spots a squad photo of the 1993-94 Manchester United squad on the wall. The detective accosts a bare-chested skinhead and starts gesturing to the players in the picture.

“Ince is black, Parker is black, Dublin is black, Schmeichel’s a Dane, Kanchelskis is a bloody Ukrainian and Cantona is French.”

Point made.

While this obviously isn’t to equate Ratcliffe’s clumsily ill-advised comments on immigration with fictional white nationalists, or imply he holds anything like such views, what does it say that the billionaire’s “disgusting” comments – to use the description of Chancellor Rachel Reeves – make it feel like he could do with a similar lecture about the team he co-owns?

Many of United’s own supporters have already made it clear, with multiple banners and memes about loving immigrants and hating billionaires. In one, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona happily stride above an image of Ratcliffe and the Glazers.

A football column like this obviously doesn’t need to re-state the basic errors that Ratcliffe made, or relay political arguments demonstrating the positives of immigration.

And if such a column is about the game itself, it is important to acknowledge that Ratcliffe’s views will be shared by many on the Old Trafford stands, despite much of the support’s inclusive leanings. His comments lamentably reflect the political era we’re in, where many of the very themes explored by ‘Cracker’ have only become more relevant.

The fact that many football fans will share Ratcliffe’s views only reflects the mass popularity of the sport, and how it cuts across more sectors of the population than any other pursuit.

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That fact doesn’t, however, reflect football’s true power here and what is actually relevant about this.

Ratcliffe’s sentiments are actually the complete antithesis of what the game is really about: happiness, inclusivity, coming together.

A simplistic view, sure, but also an easily demonstrable truth.

This is what that episode of Cracker so archly illustrated.

It’s not just that there’s no sector of society as popular as football. It’s that there’s no sector as powerful in breaking down the same barriers.

This is a wider point that should be made as regards the billionaire’s comments in his profile as a notional football figure.

Leave aside the politics for a moment, and even the suspicions the United co-owner was possibly just seeking to cozy up to Reform sentiments.

What Ratcliffe said was actually anti-football.

There are countless examples you could use to illustrate why, starting with United’s own team and history. A migrant, Billy Whelan, died in the Munich air disaster commemorated last week.

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Across town, Manchester City celebrated Germany’s Bert Trautmann as a club legend, just 11 years after the Second World War.

Come to now, and around 70 percent of the Premier League’s players are migrants and 79 percent of its managers.

The writer of this very column is a migrant, even if comments like Ratcliffe’s are no longer usually intended to mean the Irish given the common travel area.

And while none of this is to deny that serious racism or exclusionary views are challenges within the game and around it, the crucial point is that football itself serves to change minds.

Think about it in the most basic terms.

Many of us will have been in the company of supporters who hold even stronger views than Ratcliffe, only to express adoration for migrants in the same breath.

This gradually has a tangible positive effect, too.

In 2019, a Stanford University study showed that Mohammed Salah’s performances had reduced both Islamophobia and hate crime rates in Liverpool.

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And they obviously did. That is how this works.

There are few sectors that encourage understanding and integration as much as football. The game has many problems, but this is one it actively works against in the most direct and persuasive way.

The one true global game serves to bring people together, even amid its many issues and the way it is often politically misused.

In the latter sense, the Ratcliffe controversy raises another crucial theme.

It is striking that United themselves felt the need to release a statement re-asserting the club’s inclusive ethos, and yet they find themselves co-owned and consequently represented by a man whose comments go against that. It has long been the same with the Glazers’ capitalist outlook, not least the manner their conference calls have discussed benefitting from dramatic Trumpian tax reforms, and how that so goes against the idea of a club founded by railway workers.

This is the world football has willingly moved into, without its fans having any say whatsoever.

It’s not hard to imagine some of football’s other billionaire owners privately expressing sympathy with Ratcliffe’s views, rolling their eyes with how the public just won’t get it. They move in a completely different world.

In another extreme, two other ownerships – those of Manchester City and Newcastle United – are key figures or funds from autocratic states who have migrant labour laws described as “modern slavery” and based on racial hierarchies.

All of this just forms another simple argument as to why such social institutions should be owned by supporters, not private or state interests. That is who they really represent, after all.

And yet this dismal situation perhaps has one positive when it comes to the ownership problem.

One of the main reasons that some billionaires get into football is fame, and social capital. They enjoy the increased profile, in ways that their other businesses just can’t afford. It also allows them to indulge what some industry figures describe as “billionaire idiot syndrome”, where individuals who are financially successful in one specific area become convinced they can easily translate this to anything else. As one example, when Ratcliffe made a pitch to buy Chelsea in 2022, those involved had the perception that he thought it would be easy because he’d run Ineos.

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And duly, if Ratcliffe said this still just a petrochemicals owner, it likely wouldn’t have made anything like the same headlines.

Saying it as the co-owner of Manchester United, however, has just publicly exposed the poverty of thinking. A man frequently described as arrogant has been forced into a partial apology.

The game has that power, as well as so much more.

Ratcliffe could do a bit more to understand the sport he’s actually in, not least its inclusive nature.

He could start by trying to understand his own club.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The opening night of the 2026 NBA All-Star weekend is in the books. Team Vince, coached by Vince Carter, defeated Team Melo, coached by Carmelo Anthony, in the NBA Rising Star Challenge title game behind a standout performance from VJ Edgecombe. The 76ers star guard was named MVP of the event.

This marked the fifth consecutive year that the top rookies, sophomores and G League players were split into different teams during the four-team event. The first team to 40 points in the semifinals advanced to the title game, while the first to 25 points captured the championship. 

Edgecombe scored the game-winning free throw to give Team Vince bragging rights. Team Melo advanced to the title game after Dylan Harper, the No. 2 overall pick from the 2025 NBA Draft, knocked down a mid-range jumper over older brother, Ron Harper Jr.

Edgecombe scored the most points of any player in the semifinals. He finished with 17 points and six rebounds during Team Vince’s win over Team T-Mac, coached by Tracy McGrady. Egdecombe, the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft, has been one of the biggest stars among all first-year players.

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Here are the biggest winners and losers from the opening night of NBA All-Star weekend.

Winner: Edgecombe steals the show

Edgecombe might not be participating in tomorrow’s dunk contest — although he should be, and would have a good chance of winning the event. Edgecombe did ball out in the Rising Stars Challenge. The 76ers star scored 17 points in the semifinals and six in the title game. Edgecombe’s play style as a high-flyer made him a perfect candidate to have a standout performance. It was appropriate that he got the final shot to send his team to the championship game.

Loser: Fans miss out on watching Flagg

Less than 24 hours before the Rising Stars Challenge, Flagg was ruled out due to a mid-foot sprain. Flagg, the No. 1 pick from the 2025 NBA Draft, has been putting up video game-like numbers as of late. He became the first teenager in NBA history to record back-to-back 30-point double-doubles last month. He also scored 49 points against the Hornets, which was the most by a teenager in NBA history. It shouldn’t be long before fans get to watch play Flagg play on the final day of the event — the actual All-Star Game. It wouldn’t be surprising if that happens as soon as next season.

Winner: Yang Hansen shines in opening game

One of the biggest stars of the first semifinal game of the night was Yang Hansen. The No. 16 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft came off the bench and scored 10 points for Team Austin that was coached by Austin Rivers. Considering that Hansen is averaging just 7.5 minutes per game in his rookie season with Portland, this was the kind of performance that he could build upon in the remainder of the season.

Loser: Ron Harper Jr. gives up game-winner to younger brother 

One of the top storylines of the first game of the evening between Team Melo and Team Austin was the battle between the Harper brothers. Ron Harper Jr., on the Maine Celtics, had to guard his kid brother, Dylan Harper of the San Antonio Spurs, on what would be the final possession of the game. The younger brother will be earning bragging rights in his household, as Dylan knocked down a go-ahead jumper to send Team Melo to the title game.

Winner: The format works

The four-team Rising Stars format should stay a fixture of All-Star weekend. Sure, several parts of NBA All-Star need an overhaul, but all three games Friday night were competitive, fun and had star power. That’s exactly what you need in an event like this. Edgecombe said it best when getting interviewed by an in-arena reporter. He said he wanted to win the event. Clearly, Edgecombe and others took pride in this game. It was refreshing to watch.

Loser: Title game ends in not-so-dramatic fashion

While the Rising Stars title game was full of entertainment, the ending was not so dramatic. On the final offensive possession, Edgecombe got fouled trying to score at the rim. Edgecombe proceeded to knock down both free throws to give his team a 25-24 win. You hate to see a game as competitive as that one end without someone scoring a field goal.

Scotland Squad: George Munsey, Michael Jones, Brandon McMullen, Richie Berrington(c), Tom Bruce, Michael Leask, Matthew Cross(w), Mark Watt, Oliver Davidson, Brad Wheal, Brad Currie, Safyaan Sharif, Finlay McCreath, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan

England Squad: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook(c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood, Josh Tongue, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett

Matt Weston delivered Britain’s first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics in style as he dominated the men’s skeleton competition.

The British star claimed victory by a cumulative total of 0.88 seconds over his four runs, ahead of German pair Alex Jungk and Christopher Grotheer, who took silver and bronze respectively.

The dual world champion had led from the beginning of the competition, setting track records in both of his first two runs at the Cortina Sliding Centre on Thursday before bettering his own mark twice again on Friday evening to be crowned Olympic champion.

He said: “I literally can’t describe it. I’ve been fortunate enough to win world championships, European championships and other things as well and this blows them all out of the water.

“I can’t describe the feeling. I almost feel numb. It’s kind of not real. I keep touching it (his medal) to make sure it is real but it doesn’t feel real.”

Despite having held a clear advantage from his very first run, Weston still felt there were parts of his performance that could be improved as he continues to seek “the perfect line” around the track.

He said: “I think there’s always bits to clean up. I’m very much a perfectionist.

“Every single run I do I’m thinking I need to clean this set, I need to clean that up. Even if it was a track record, I’m still very much trying to find that perfect line.

“Whether it’s possible or not I don’t know but that’s what keeps me going.”

Weston is unsure where his perfectionist streak comes from, but admits it stretches further than just the sliding track.

He added: “I want to win everything, I want to be a perfectionist in everything. I’m a nightmare when we play Monopoly at home.

“My team-mates call me Captain 110 per cent because I can’t not win. Even when we’re squatting, they might put one kilo on the bar and I’ll be like, I’ll do another set just to try and beat them.”

Weston is the first British man to win a skeleton gold, with Amy Williams and Lizzy Yarnold having triumphed previously in the women’s competition and he was thrilled to have followed in their footsteps.

He said: “I’m just so pleased that I’m able to continue such an amazing legacy. We’ve had some insane athletes come before me and set the standard, set the momentum.

“Obviously Beijing (in 2022) didn’t go quite as well as we’d hoped. We took a risk with equipment then and it didn’t quite pay off.

“But now we completely reset, we revamped everything, new coaches, new kind of philosophies around things and yeah, I think we’ve turned it around pretty well.”

Weston’s parents, Alison and Tom, along with his fiancee Alex were there to witness his triumph and he added: “They’re the ones that are pushing me the most.

“My fiancee, I’m out of the country for six months of the year and it’s not a glamorous lifestyle being a skeleton athlete but she’s still always there supporting me.

“I’m getting married in July so I can say yes (it is the best day of my life) for about a few months and then I have to change my answer.”