After Sheikh Jassim from Qatar withdrew his offer, British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is likely to take over Manchester United – but only a quarter. The unpopular Glazers would still be in control.
It’s been more than eleven months since the fans of Manchester United found hope. Last November, the owners, the American Glazer siblings, who were hated by large parts of the club, announced that they were looking for “strategic alternatives” for the club – they put the English record champions up for sale.
This was good news for the audience. It blames the owners for the club’s decline, especially since the departure of the iconic coach Sir Alex Ferguson ten years ago and accuses them of enriching themselves from the club. They have more than a billion euros Glazers since she joined the club in 2005, among other things by paying dividends. Many fans saw the announcement eleven months ago as the beginning of the Glazers’ final chapter Old Trafford.
Qatar offer withdrawn
Considerable doubts have now accumulated as to whether the owners actually want to sell the club. They would have had the chance. Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, sheikh from Qatar and brother of the ruling emir there, had the equivalent of almost six billion euros Manchester United offered – roughly twice the club’s estimated market value. However, apparently frustrated by the tough negotiations, he recently withdrew his offer. What remains is an interested party Sir Jim Ratcliffeloud “Sunday Times Rich List” is the second richest Briton with assets equivalent to more than 34 billion euros.
Ratcliffe is the founder and CEO of the chemical giant Ineos, comes from the Greater Manchester area and has been a United fan since childhood. However, that didn’t stop him from trying to buy the in May 2022 Chelsea FC to undertake – without success. He has better chances at Manchester United, but his offer only includes a minority stake. He would buy 25 percent of the club for around 1.5 billion euros. The Glazers would still have the majority.
Comes from Greater Manchester: Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
From a neutral perspective, it may seem positive that one of the world’s most famous football brands will not become Qatari owned and thus become a sportswashing tool, but for many fans the potential one-quarter sale to Jim Ratcliffe is only the second best option. Experts are also skeptical. The portal “The Athletic” for example writes about one “Disappointing compromise for a club that so obviously has new ambitions, new visions, new investment and new energy” would need.
Biggest problem in world football
If Ratcliffe wins the deal, he would take over sporting control at Manchester United while the Glazers would continue to manage the business side. How much influence Ratcliffe could actually wield in this scenario is unclear. And anyway: Whether he is the right man to get what is probably the biggest problem in world football back on track remains to be seen. In 2017 he bought FC Lausanne-Sport and OGC Nice in 2019 – the results of both clubs since then have been mixed.
Ratcliffe’s possible entry into Manchester United is accompanied by a lot of ambiguity (former professional Gary Neville even formulated a catalog of 16 questions on X, formerly Twitter). During a visit to the club in March, Ratcliffe is said to have expressed criticism of recent transfers, specifically the signing of the 30-year-old Casemiro last year for 70 million euros including a four-year contract. These are not good signs for the future of managing director Richard Arnold and director of football John Murtough.
Old Trafford needs to be modernized
The position of coach Erik ten Hag could also be up for debate. After the Dutchman’s first season was considered a success, the current season is going slowly. In the Premier League, Manchester United is only eighth, in the Champions League, after defeats against FC Bayern and Galatasaray, they absolutely need a win in the third group game against FC Copenhagen this Tuesday. Ten Hag is currently not giving a good impression in terms of external representation either.
It is also unclear what Ratcliffe’s arrival would mean for the much-needed modernization of Old Trafford. While the national competition has either built completely new stadiums in recent years (Arsenal FC, Tottenham Hotspur) or has expanded the current venues (Manchester City, Liverpool FC), Manchester United’s homeland is still in virtually the same condition as the Glazers found it in 2005. This is one of the reasons why Old Trafford is missing from the list of venues for the 2028 European Championship in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
The only thing that is certain is that Jim Ratcliffe will not be satisfied with a quarter of Manchester United, but will try to steadily increase his shares – until he owns the majority at some point. The fans are therefore trying to see the latest developments positively. Andy Green, representative of the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust, said BBC: When Ratcliffe’s entry “the beginning of the end” for the Glazers, “then a change is in sight – and that must be a good thing”. Eleven months after the current owners began looking for buyers, there must be uncertainty “come to an end”demands Green. However, this wish is unlikely to come true any time soon.