Manchester United, of English soccer’s top-tier Premier League, have announced Omar Berrada, the chief football operations officer at City Football Group, the parent company of local rivals Manchester City, as their new chief executive.
Berrada announced his resignation from CFG shortly before Manchester United unveiled the appointment yesterday (January 21). The club said his start date will be announced shortly, with Patrick Stewart, the club’s general counsel, continuing as interim chief executive until then.
In a statement, the club said: “The club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do. Omar's appointment represents the first step on this journey.
“As one of the most experienced football executives at the top of European football, Omar brings a wealth of football and commercial expertise, with a proven record of successful leadership and a passion to help lead change across the club.
“It is our stated ambition to re-establish Manchester United as a title-winning club. We are pleased that Omar will be joining us to help achieve that goal, so that, once again, United fans can see, in the words of Sir Matt Busby, the red flag flying high at the summit of English, European, and world football.”
CFG added: “The club understands his decision to look for a new challenge and he leaves with our thanks and best wishes.”
Berrada has been with CFG since September 2020, firstly as group commercial director and director of partnership sales before becoming chief football operations officer.
While there, he earned plaudits for brokering several incoming transfer deals including Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish, while also generating record revenue from the City Academy and building the women’s team.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have been without a chief executive since November when Richard Arnold announced his decision to step down as British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his chemicals company INEOS edged closer to acquiring a 25% stake in the club.
This appointment is the first major move since the club confirmed Ratcliffe would become a minority shareholder last month, with the deal set to be ratified by the Premier League in February.
Sportcal understands confirmation of Berrada’s start date will be announced once the deal is formally completed.
Under the role, Berrada will oversee the club's soccer and business decisions, reporting to Ratcliffe and the Glazer family, who have retained a majority shareholding.
Manchester United recently reported a financial loss for the 2022-23 season despite reeling in record revenues.
Despite bringing in £648.4 million ($784 million) during last season (in which United finished third and won the League Cup), the club still lost £28.7 million.
Growth in the club’s commercial revenues played a key role in this significant rise, with that sector contributing over £300 million to the club’s income for the first time, hitting £302.9 million. This equates to an increase of 17.5% year-on-year.
