Who is Sir Dave Brailsford? Possible Man Utd role, position at Ineos & doping controversy

Sir Dave Brailsford is a name Manchester United fans could become familiar with in the coming weeks.

The 59-year-old holds a key role at Ineos and is the company’s director of sport. Ineos, headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, could move closer to purchasing a 25 percent stake in United this week. The petrochemicals billionaire is the only remaining candidate in the race to purchase the Red Devils, following the decision of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani to withdraw his offer.

A board meeting on Thursday could determine the next steps in the long-running saga, with all 12 members expected to vote on whether to accept Ratcliffe’s offer. If the offer is ratified, Brailsford could play a significant role at Old Trafford going forward, and we’ve had a look at the former cycling chief’s background…

Who is Sir Dave Brailsford?

Brailsford was born in Derbyshire in 1964, but moved to North Wales as a child. He also lived in France and was knighted in 2013 for his services to cycling.

What is his cycling background?

In 1998, Brailsford joined British Cycling on a consultancy basis and went on to become programmes director and then performance director. His ‘marginal gains' philosophy helped British Cycling drastically improve their medal hauls at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, and led the medal table in the latter two. Brailsford also worked with the likes of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froom.

In 2010, Brailsford took charge of Team Sky, which later became Team Ineos. Under his watch, Team Sky won six of seven Tour de France championships between 2012 and 2018.

What about the doping controversy?

A 2018 report by the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, concluded that Team Sky had crossed an ‘ethical line’ in its use of drugs such as triamcinolone, to help prepare Wiggins for races. A mysterious jiffy bag, sent to Wiggins in 2011, also resulted in an investigation by UK Anti-Doping, although no sufficient evidence of the contents of the bag was found. Brailsford, who was head of Team Sky at the time, has always denied any allegations of being involved in doping and no charges were ever brought forward.

What role does he play at Ineos?

Brailsford remains team principal for Ineos Grenadier, but in 2021 was appointed as director of sport for the entire company, a role which sees him work with teams in cycling, sailing, football, rugby and Formula 1.

He is also director of sport at Nice and has carried out a systemic overhaul of the club since his appointment. After initially struggling under his watch, the Ligue 1 club have had a successful start to the new season and are third in the table, while remaining the only unbeaten side in the French top flight. It is anticipated that Brailsford could carry out a similar role at United if the Ineos bid is successful, and oversee a restructuring of the club’s sporting framework.