England captain Maro Itoje has disagreed with Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe\u2019s recent remarks about immigration.<\/p>\n
In the build-up to the Red Rose\u2019s eagerly anticipated Six Nations clash with Scotland at Murrayfield, Itoje was asked for his opinion regarding Ratcliffe\u2019s controversial comments.<\/p>\n
Ratcliffe<\/a>, who owns his stake in Premier League giants Manchester United through his company Ineos, claimed during a Sky News interview earlier this week that Great Britain had been \u201ccolonised by immigrants\u201d.<\/p>\n The billionaire has subsequently apologised for \u201coffending some people\u201d with his language but added that an \u201copen debate\u201d on the matter was needed.<\/p>\n Ratcliffe\u2019s remarks have received plenty of criticism with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying his comments were \u201coffensive and wrong\u201d and now Itoje<\/a> has also voiced his dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n \u2018That\u2019s inaccurate and the wrong thing to say\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cI disagree with the terminology and sentiments of what he said,\u201d Itoje told the BBC<\/a>. \u201cI do not believe that Great Britain has been colonised by immigrants. I think that\u2019s inaccurate and the wrong thing to say.<\/p>\n \u201cI sit before you as a man who was born in north London, a very proud Londoner, very proud to have this English identity, very proud to play for England<\/a> and to captain England.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one of my greatest accomplishments and, regardless of what I do for the rest of my life, this will be up there with one of the best things that has ever happened to me.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m also of Nigerian descent, and I\u2019m equally as proud of that heritage as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI just think it was very clumsy wording and the figures he was talking about were factually inaccurate as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI have read that he has apologised for his comments, and I think it is admirable when people realise they\u2019ve messed up and apologise. So, I commend him for doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n Scotland v England prediction: Steve Borthwick\u2019s side to show \u2018title authority\u2019 in win that puts Gregor Townsend \u2018in the pressure cooker\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Itoje returns to England\u2019s run-on side after starting amongst the replacements during their Six Nations<\/a> opener against Wales at Allianz Stadium Twickenham which they won 48-7.<\/p>\n This, after he travelled to Nigeria to attend the funeral of his mother Florence, who passed away in December.<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m OK and taking each day as it comes\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been incredibly sad, incredibly emotional, but, all in all, I\u2019m OK and taking each day as it comes,\u201d revealed Itoje.<\/p>\n \u201cThose couple of weeks were just a bit of a whirlwind, going to Nigeria.<\/p>\n \u201cMy family are from Delta State [a region in the south of Nigeria] so we had to catch another flight from Lagos to Warri, then we drove to the town where my family originate from.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was deeply emotional. It was very sad. But at the same time, it felt peaceful. It felt that it was the right thing to do to take my mother back to her ancestral home.\u201d<\/p>\n