Manchester United supporters against an arrival of the Qataris at the head of the club. PETER POWELL / PANORAMIC
Qatari investors have contacted the owners of Manchester United, the American Glazer family, with a view to making an offer for the total or partial takeover of the club, some English media said on Thursday.
For the moment, the only declared potential buyer of the club, put up for sale at the end of November, is the petrochemical group Ineos, owned by English billionaire Jim Ratcliffe. If there is no formal calendar, it seems certain that the official offers were expected around mid-February.
THE DailyMail opened the ball on Tuesday by writing that a “group of Qatari investors” would make “in the coming days” an offer that would “explode the competition”, but the tabloid does not give any details on the identity of these investors , nor on the amount of the offer, except that it would be a total takeover of the club. According to the press, the Glazers, who took control of the Red Devils in 2005, are hoping for an offer close to or even higher than 6 billion euros, which would be a record for a football team.
SEE ALSO – Wout Weghorst joined Manchester United this winter
A subsidiary of national sovereign wealth fund QIA, and a direct takeover of Manchester United would come up against current UEFA regulations
THE Guardian for his part, mentioned the interest of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, in the wake of the organization of the World Cup-2022. But he already owns Paris SG, through the fund Qatar Sport Investment (QSI), a subsidiary of the national sovereign wealth fund QIA, and a direct takeover of Manchester United would come up against current UEFA regulations, in particular for participation. of the two clubs in European competitions.
On Thursday, the British press agency PA assured that QSI would only be looking for a minority stake, whether at Manchester United or another Premier League club, and that a takeover control was “out of the question”.
The name of Tottenham had also been mentioned a few days ago as a target. The English football championship, by far the richest in the world, has been a center of interest for the Gulf countries for a long time, Manchester City having been bought by the Emiratis in 2008, while Newcastle passed under the Saudi flag there less than two years old.
The takeover of the Magpies had been accompanied by a campaign by human rights NGOs, such as Amnesty International, to denounce an attempt at “laundering through sport” and Manchester City has, since the beginning of the week, been l subject to a massive Premier League procedure for its questionable accounting practices.
SEE ALSO – Coupe de France: “disappointment” for Christophe Galtier after the elimination of PSG by OM