Jay Motty has been a Manchester United supporter for as long as he can remember. His fanhood goes so far that he runs the “Stretford Paddock” YouTube channel with friends and makes a living from it. But the last 18 years as a United fan haven’t always been easy – largely because of the club’s owners, the American Glazer family.
Motty says, “The problem with the Glazers was that profits were paid out as dividends. Now if someone comes along and just keeps Manchester United afloat, we could generate enough money ourselves to be competitive.”
United have been competitive for a while since taking over the Glazers in 2005 – five English championships and one Champions League title are proof. But fans have been waiting for the next Premier League title for almost a decade. The entire club sometimes seems as in need of renovation as the Old Trafford stadium.
Concern about sports washing
Possibly in the hands of a Gulf state by the Glazers, how does a loyal fan like Jay Motty deal with that? “I have no problem with a person or even a company from Qatar or from Saudi Arabia. I don’t care where people come from. My concern is that it could become state owned. What we see with many of these offers and with Qatari and Saudi Arabian owners is that if we follow the trail, it always leads to the state. It is the government or the ruling family that owns these companies or clubs. That worries me. When you’re state-owned, we get into sportswashing territory. You become part of a PR arm,” says Motty.
Gulf rivalry in English football stadiums
However, a takeover by lenders from the Gulf region would continue a trend in the Premier League. First came Abu Dhabi and bought Manchester City, and Saudi Arabia recently joined them with the purchase of Newcastle United. Could the Premier League or the UK government still step in and prevent further investment by Gulf autocrats?
Martyn Ziegler, journalist for the daily newspaper “The Times”, asked around before the interview with Deutschlandfunk: “I asked the British sports minister an hour ago. Exactly this question. And his answer was, ‘No.’ Although a new regulator of English football will be installed, it will not meddle in foreign policy issues. Nothing prevents Qatar from buying and owning UK companies. You have already acquired a lot. So why would you prevent the purchase of a football club?”
As things stand, Qatar would have a better chance than Saudi Arabia of becoming the new owner of Manchester United because Saudi investors already own league rivals Newcastle. Should Qatar get the say in Old Trafford, a new era would dawn in the Premier League, Ziegler believes: “It would almost be as if the rivalry in the Gulf were being played out in football on a proxy basis. No proxy war, but a kind of competition. And at the same time the attention is used to improve the perception of one’s own country.”
Football as a playground for autocrats
That can’t really be what the fans want, but especially in Manchester United supporters want peace to finally return after years of protesting against the Glazers, reports Jay Motty:
“It’s complicated and I sympathize with any fan who has now gotten to the point where you just want to watch football and don’t want to discuss or protest the owners. For a lot of people, it would feel like being told that after 18 years of protesting against the Glazers, it’s now time to protest against the new owners. I could understand if some are wondering when it will finally be over. Besides, football is actually a hobby, a pastime. It should be fun.”
However, football in the financially pumped and world-renowned Premier League has become more than just a pastime for everyone. The league becomes a playground for autocrats with almost infinite funds.