Former Manchester United manager Ron Atkinson to participate in Celebrity Big Brother

Ron Atkinson’s media career never recovered following a racist remark in 2004. The 74-year-old has now joined Britain’s Celebrity Big Brother

Ron Atkinson, the former manager of Manchester United, West Brom, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Atletico Madrid amongst others, has entered the British Celebrity Big Brother house, HITC Sport reports.

Affectionately known as ‘Big Ron,’ Atkinson joined a cast of reality TV stars and z-listers at the launch of the new series of the often controversial television show.

Atkinson was Sir Alex Ferguson’s predecessor at Manchester United and won two F.A. Cups in 1983 and 1985 with the club during his stint as manager from 1981-86.

‘Big Ron’ also won the League Cup with Aston Villa in 1994, defeating Sir Alex Ferguson’s United side in the final to deny them a domestic treble.

Atkinson was a well known TV personality and football commentator but became an outcast when he made a racist remark about Marcel Desailly in 2004.

Although the 74-year-old has apologised publicly for the incident many times, he has never got back into mainstream media.

It will be interesting to see how his larger-than-life personality fares on the reality TV show.