MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has been reminded of his ''responsibilities as a participant in English football'' after he triggered a storm of criticism for claiming Britain had been ''colonized'' by immigrants.
But England's Football Association will not be charging Ratcliffe over his comments, which were widely condemned by political figures, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the club's supporters.
The governing body issued Ratcliffe with a reminder of his responsibilities when taking part in media interviews, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
British billionaire Ratcliffe, who owns petrochemicals giant INEOS, made the comments during an interview with Sky News, which aired last week.
''You can't have an economy with 9 million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,'' he said. ''I mean, the U.K.'s been colonized.''
Ratcliffe's comments touched a nerve in Britain, where immigration is a divisive issue. He later said he was sorry his choice of language had ''offended some people.''
Starmer had earlier called for him to apologize, saying ''Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country".
United fans, who are proud of the diversity within the team and its supporter base, also condemned his words.
