Ruben Amorim to pay for Man Utd backroom staff to attend Europa League final

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has personally paid for 30 members of his backroom staff and their families to attend the Europa League final in Bilbao next week, according to ESPN.

The Red Devils, led by notoriously tight-fisted chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe, declined to cover their expenses, forcing the manager to foot the bill.

Even though the final against Tottenham Hotspur on May 21 is a make-or-break clash with a Champions League spot on the line, the Man United hierarchy has continued their penny-pinching.

Man Utd are cutting costs by any means. Cutting around 200 jobs this summer and closing the staff canteen is not enough.

They offered only two paid-for tickets per staff member for the final at the Estadio San Mames. All additional tickets must be purchased, with no travel or accommodation provided.

By contrast, Paris Saint-Germain announced last week that they would fund the trip for 600 staff to attend their Champions League final against Inter Milan in Munich.

Amorim’s gesture came after learning that coaches, physios and other support staff were expected to foot the bill themselves. He stepped in to ensure they would not miss out.

United have defended their decision by citing the need to maximise ticket availability for supporters, with players receiving just two tickets each.

However, even fan attendance will skew heavily in Tottenham’s favour. Spurs fans are set to travel in far greater numbers than United’s.

Around 15,000 ticketless Tottenham supporters are expected in Bilbao, compared to an estimated 2,000 from the red half of Manchester.

The novelty of a rare European final has thousands of Tottenham fans trooping in numbers to Spain.

This is their first European final since 2019 and only their third in history. They are stoked to watch their team compete.