Man Utd set to appoint Omar Berrada from rivals Man City as their new chief executive; Berrada poised to succeed Richard Arnold following his exit as CEO at the end of last year; Berrada has played a key part in City's recent on and off-the-field success and has also worked at Barcelona
Saturday 20 January 2024 21:48, UK
Manchester United are set to appoint Omar Berrada from rivals Manchester City as their new chief executive.
United have been searching for a new CEO since the departure of Richard Arnold and have found his successor in Berrada, who has played a key part in City's recent on and off the field success.
A Manchester City statement confirming Berrada's departure read: "Manchester City Football Club can confirm that Omar Berrada has resigned from his role as Chief Football Operations Officer at City Football Group.
"The club understands his decision to look for a new challenge and he leaves with our thanks and best wishes."
A Manchester City source has told Sky Sports News while the club is sad to see Berrada leave, they remain confident City's management structure is "the best in the world" and that will remain the case.
The source added the club is ahead of Manchester United "on every metric" and Berrada going to United is seen as a compliment.
Berrada's imminent appointment will be one of the first major moves since British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his firm INEOS agreed to buy a 25 per cent stake in the club.
Patrick Stewart has worked as United's interim chief executive since Arnold's exit at the end of the year.
Berrada describes himself on LinkedIn as having 20 years of senior-level experience in football and someone "with expertise in the management of club business and football operations, including player transactions, sponsorship and media rights."
Having lived in six different countries, Berrada says he is fluent in four languages. His LinkedIn profile says he is "responsible for managing and optimising group football operations for almost 100 teams across 11 clubs on 5 continents."
He has also represented Manchester City and the Group in multiple governing roles including with the European Clubs Association and the FA Women's Super League Board.
He was the chief football operations officer at City Football Group overseeing talent management, performance services and football intelligence.
Prior to the role, which he has held since September 2016, Berrada had worked as commercial director for City Football Marketing before.
He joined City from Barcelona, having worked for the Spanish club for almost eight years. Berrada held the positions of senior media business development manager and the head of sponsorship during a very successful era for the club.
Berrada has over 18 years of senior-level experience in the sports industry and five years in the telecommunications sector.
