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Full sale only? The only one seems possible by letting Manchester United fall under state ownership. Allowing the Glazers to occupy Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s house is a sacrifice worth making…
Third and final offer for Manchester United. And now?
Friday night deadline laid down by the Glazers as they attempted to squeeze Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe one last time was met by both bidders. The current owners, enabled by Raine Group, have pushed as far as anyone could reasonably allow. So now we wait.
One of the three outcomes is very likely. The favorite of many United fans, certainly the most screamed on social media, is up for a full sale to Sheikh Jassim and whoever is pulling the strings. They want it known that they have put forward a proposal for the club in its entirety, a proposal worth around £5bn which would set a new world record for the purchase of a sports club, beating the sale of the Denver Broncos by 3, £8bn, but still short of the £6bn the Glazers would agree to fuck off with.
Ratcliffe seems to be offering a place for the Glazers, at least a couple of them, in his vision for United. The Manchester-born billionaire wants control – this is important – but some things are beyond even billionaires. Ratcliffe would struggle to comply with the Glazers’ demands to promise them never to darken United’s goal again.
Then there’s the third, almost unthinkable option: nothing changes. The Glazers remain in charge, continue to burglarize the club and wait for their assets to appreciate, despite the absolute lack of investment from the owners. They may still accept offers to help with this, if they choose to implement’the nightmare scenario selling only minority stakes to investment groups.
Nearly six months into the trial, the one thing clear is that there are no perfect options, at least for anyone but the willfully blind. Everyone who has United in their hearts has to decide what they’re willing to compromise on.
Morality? That, sadly, would be the price to pay if those cheerleaders for Sheikh Jassim get their way. Make no mistake, a win for the Sheikh would be a win for Qatar. The Red Devils would become the Premier League’s third state-owned stealth club – a prospect that must not be allowed to come true.
To know more: Amnesty International: Six things you need to know about Qatar
The Premier League was blissfully ignorant of the ramifications of Abu Dhabi’s takeover of Manchester City, and perhaps it was intentionally so when the Saudis came for Newcastle. However often Sheikh Jassim is pushed forward as face, Qatar want control of United. One of Europe’s biggest football clubs would become the most made-up sports washing vehicle on the continent.
This is the consequence of a complete sale. ‘Bring it on!’, say some supporters. The prospect of the likes of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe wearing red in a 90,000 built beIN Bowl where cars currently park near Old Trafford would be enough to distract others. The others, whose conscience is on the table next to their club property, may have to learn to live with the Glazers for a while longer.
Though their brothers are content to cut and run, Joel and Avram are apparently prepared to play the long game. Six billion would be nice now, but what if United could be worth closer to 10 billion in a few years? They want a piece of that much tastier pie, and whether it’s that or control of Qatar, the rest of us should be willing to put up with it.
Working with the Glazers hardly represents an «if you can’t beat them, join them» approach on Ratcliffe’s part. There would still be his name, or that of INEOS, above the door. Ratcliffe would call the shots; Joel and Avram would barely be there for the ride leaving the new owner to deal with all the issues they’ve been ignoring for the better part of two decades.
The details are still sketchy, of course, and we only know what interested parties want known. Qatar’s offer is clear in terms of intent, but their motivations are far, far more suspicious, too vague to digest. Ratcliffe, like any billionaire, is hardly a pampering benefactor, but he doesn’t have to be.
United, well managed, almost look after themselves and certainly pay in their own way. The club needs no state funding and the game must resist another surrender to an oppressive regime. Enabling a pair of Glazers to tap into their voyeuristic instincts is a far more palatable sacrifice than United falling into the hands of Qatar.
