Latest news with #GeraintThomas
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Dave Brailsford to step back from Manchester United and return to Ineos
Sir Dave Brailsford is to reduce his role at Manchester United under a reshuffle being planned by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Brailsford has played a major part since Ratcliffe secured his stake in United in February 2024, stepping down as team principal of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team to take charge of footballing operations at Old Trafford and investing considerable time and energy in driving change at the club. But after a season in which United ended in 15th place, their worst Premier League finish, and lost the Europa League final against Tottenham, Ratcliffe is planning a shake-up in which Brailsford will return to his role as director of sport for the wider Ineos group, as first reported by the Times. Under the plans, the former Tour de France winner and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas is poised to take on a leadership role with the Grenadiers when he retires as a rider at the end of the year. Brailsford, 61, has overseen a major overhaul of United's operations, including a £50m redevelopment of the Carrington training ground. Ratcliffe has scaled back some of Ineos's sporting commitments, terminating its sponsorship of the New Zealand rugby team and ending his bid to win the America's Cup. However, Ratcliffe remains committed to the cycling team, who no longer hold the dominant position they did when winning the Tour de France in seven out of eight editions between 2012 and 2019. Thomas, 39, has said he will retire after the Tour of Britain in September.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Dave Brailsford set for reduced role at Manchester United after Jim Ratcliffe's planned reshuffle
Brailsford has played a major part since Ratcliffe secured his stake in United in February 2024, stepping down as team principal of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team to take charge of footballing operations at Old Trafford and investing considerable time and energy in driving change at the club. But after a season in which United finished 15th, their worst Premier League finish, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham, Ratcliffe is planning a shake-up which will see Brailsford return to his role as director of sport for the wider Ineos group, as first reported by The Times. Under the plans, former Tour de France winner and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas is set to take on a leadership role with the Grenadiers when he retires as a rider at the end of the year. Brailsford, 61, has overseen a major overhaul of United's operations, including a £50million redevelopment of the Carrington training ground. Ratcliffe has scaled back some of Ineos's sporting commitments, terminating its sponsorship of the New Zealand rugby team and ending his bid to win the America's Cup. However, Ratcliffe remains committed to the cycling team, who no longer hold the dominant position they did when winning the Tour de France in seven out of eight editions between 2012 and 2019. Thomas, 39, has said he will retire after the Tour of Britain in September.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Sir Dave Brailsford set for reduced role at Manchester United after reshuffle
Sir Dave Brailsford is set to reduce his role at Manchester United under a reshuffle being planned by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the PA news agency understands. Brailsford has played a major part since Ratcliffe secured his stake in United in February 2024, stepping down as team principal of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team to take charge of footballing operations at Old Trafford and investing considerable time and energy in driving change at the club. But after a season in which United finished 15th, their worst Premier League finish, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham, Ratcliffe is planning a shake-up which will see Brailsford return to his role as director of sport for the wider Ineos group, as first reported by The Times. Under the plans, former Tour de France winner and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas is set to take on a leadership role with the Grenadiers when he retires as a rider at the end of the year. Brailsford, 61, has overseen a major overhaul of United's operations, including a £50million redevelopment of the Carrington training ground. Ratcliffe has scaled back some of Ineos's sporting commitments, terminating its sponsorship of the New Zealand rugby team and ending his bid to win the America's Cup. However, Ratcliffe remains committed to the cycling team, who no longer hold the dominant position they did when winning the Tour de France in seven out of eight editions between 2012 and 2019. Thomas, 39, has said he will retire after the Tour of Britain in September.
Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Times
Dave Brailsford steps back at Man United in Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos reshuffle
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning a major reshuffle that will lead to Sir Dave Brailsford reducing his commitment to Manchester United to return to his director of sport role for Ineos and Geraint Thomas taking a senior leadership position at the professional cycling team when he retires as a rider at the end of this season. Brailsford stood down as team principal of Ineos Grenadiers when Ratcliffe purchased his minority stake in Manchester United and took charge of football operations, and has dedicated more than a year to implementing change at the Premier League club. The season has ended in frustration and disappointment, with United finishing the campaign under Ruben Amorim in 15th, their worst Premier League finish, and failing to secure a back-door route into the Champions League after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur last month. Even so, 61-year-old Brailsford is credited by the British billionaire with overhauling the performance set-up at United, the £50million redevelopment of the club's Carrington training ground and drawing up his Mission 21 plan for a 21st league title and a first championship for the women's team. While Ratcliffe has reduced his overall investment in sport over the past few months, terminating his sponsorship of the All Blacks and an advertising deal with Tottenham while also ending his pursuit of the America's Cup, he remains committed to his cycling team, even if they too hope to secure a new joint-sponsor in another petrochemicals firm, TotalEnergies. The failure of United to secure European football next season also means the French club comes out of trust — originally placed there to comply with Uefa ownership rules — and returns to being the responsibility of the Ineos Sport's team. Brailsford leads that unit and Ratcliffe wants him to return to his former role so that he can oversee that transition as well as revive some of his focus on cycling by supporting the Ineos Grenadiers management team of John Allert, the chief executive, and performance director Scott Drawer. The former British Cycling boss will play a role in helping Thomas make the transition from athlete to team management. Ratcliffe is known to be an admirer of the 39-year-old, having got to know him well as fellow residents in Monaco. He sees the 2018 Tour de France winner and double Olympic champion, who has announced he will retire after the Tour of Britain in September, as leadership material and wants Brailsford to help groom him for such a role. In an interview with Cycling News during the recent Giro d'Italia, Drawer said: 'We'd be crazy not to think about Geraint being part of the team in the future. Geraint's got unique skills that we don't have. We'd like to tap into what Geraint knows. He's got huge respect and credibility in the sport. He's the current team captain and plays a big role in that.'
The National
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Wales to host major European conference on independence
The 2025 International Commission for European Citizens (ICEC) conference will be held in Cardiff on July 5 at the Old Library in the heart of the Welsh capital. Hosted by YesCymru on behalf of Wales, this international gathering will bring together representatives from seven stateless nations: Wales, Scotland, Catalunya, the Basque Country, Flanders, Sud Tirol, and Veneto. The aim of the conference is to forge closer working relationships between the seven participating nations, including fostering shared strategies, knowledge exchange and solidarity in their respective campaigns for independence. READ MORE: 20 Scottish mums start hunger strike in protest over Israel's Gaza genocide The event will feature speakers, panel discussions, and cultural showcases, offering a platform to highlight each nation's aspirations and challenges. Phyl Griffiths, a spokesperson for ICEC, said: 'We are honoured to host the ICEC conference here in Wales, this is more than a conference — it is a celebration of democracy, identity, and the shared pursuit of a better future for our nations.' Geraint Thomas, Wales representative for ICEC, added: 'Organising a transnational conference like this is a powerful opportunity to strengthen ties between our nations. "By coming together, we share not only our challenges but also our strategies, ideas, and hope for the future. This collaboration lays the foundation for a new era of cooperation among Europe's stateless nations — one rooted in mutual respect, solidarity, and a shared vision of democratic self-determination.' More details, including the day's agenda and speaker announcements, will be shared in the coming weeks.
