Club Sale | It’s done!

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Dion

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Sorry if I'm all confused by this guy. Is he 100% part of the royal family or is he just a rich Qatari banker with connections? If he's just a rich Qatari united fan without direct connections to the state then that would be great?
You don't get rich enough that you can spend 3% of your countries GDP on a football club without being part of the royal establishment in a country like Qatar.
 

Ottawa MLS Fan

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My favourite part of his statement is "The bid will be completely debt-free.”

In fact, I like the idea of replacing TeamViewer on the shirt with the words Debt Free in large friendly letters.
 

Amir

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Do you really believe that Ten Hag is so much into star power - or do you think he has more interest to build a very strong team?
Or that he enjoys being moved from a known situation to an unknown - because no one really knows what new owners will do (even if all they can think of is spending money).
 

PlayerOne

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Would they go public if they didn't feel confident of their bidding winning?
 

Trophy Room

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Thank you! Finally a voice of reason.

What is going on here? I thought redcafe is supposed to be a positively selected sample of our global fanbase. I'm not recognising it here.

Are we really going to throw our values out the window at the first smell of some cash for a couple of trophies? So we (as a fanbase) were just pretending our outrage at city and chelsea for the last 15years?

I think I'm even more saddened by the reaction of our fanbase than by the prospect of having to stop supporting this club after 20+years. We are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. Where is the outrage?
Come off the high horse mate. The club is going to cost a shit load of cash. You either get a state backed buyer, a crazy billionaire or a private equity firm with leveraged cash (‘leeches’). The type of owner you seek does not exist.
 

cyberman

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Do you really believe that Ten Hag is so much into star power - or do you think he has more interest to build a very strong team?
Imo there aren’t that many stars to get excited about outside of England anymore. If I were a rival I wouldn’t be worried about what he’d bring to the first 11 but the squad he’ll build behind it. If he can get 25 players all of high standard and be able to rotate without sacrifice then it could be machine like.
I’m not talking about two top class players in each position but having subs of the hugest calibre that doesn’t cause problems.
 

Rightnr

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The FT have put out a full article on this. Mods, feel free to delete if necessary.

There's nothing majorly new here, but my suspicion about why it's this guy and not the Qatar sheikh or their two investment funds (QIA or QSI) seems to be somewhat confirmed. It's to provide reassurance that there won't be conflict of interest with PSG.

A son of Qatar’s former prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, one of the Gulf state’s richest men, has submitted a bid to take over Premier League club Manchester United.

The son, Sheikh Jassim, confirmed his offer for one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious football clubs in a statement to the Financial Times.

Sheikh Hamad, known as HBJ, is a billionaire and was one of Qatar’s most powerful figures in the 1990s and 2000s, serving as prime minister and foreign minister.

As Qatar used its gas riches to snap up trophy assets in the 2000s, he headed the Qatar Investment Authority and was the face of a spending spree that saw Doha take stakes in the Shard, Chelsea Barracks, Canary Wharf, the London Stock Exchange, and the Berkeley and Connaught hotels in London.

However, HBJ’s influence waned when Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani surprised the Gulf by stepping down as emir and handing over power to his son, Sheikh Tamim, the current ruler, in 2013.

HBJ was swiftly replaced as prime minister and head of the QIA, the sovereign wealth fund. However, he oversees a huge personal fortune and has continued to be an active investor. Forbes magazine estimates that he has a net worth of $1.3bn.

The bid is for full ownership of the club, which is owned by the Glazer family, the American sport investors, and will be debt free and transacted through a foundation set up by Sheikh Jassim.

A takeover of United could smash the record price paid for the Denver Broncos American football side last year. Billionaire Rob Walton, heir to the Walmart retail fortune, acquired the NFL franchise for $4.6bn.

Merchant bank Raine Group is leading the sale of Manchester United, having picked up the mandate after conducting the £2.5bn auction of Chelsea FC last year. Raine did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Confirmation of the bid comes on the day of the first deadline in the takeover process. Rival bidders could include Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire founder of the Ineos chemicals group, who has previously declared his interest in the asset.

“The bid plans to return the club to its former glories both on and off the pitch and, above all, will seek to place the fans at the heart of Manchester United Football Club once more,” a statement from a spokesperson representing Sheikh Jassim said.

United have not won the Premier League since 2013 when legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired after winning his final title.

“The bid will be completely debt free via Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation, which will look to invest in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the club supports.”

Qatar has invested billions of dollars in sport over the past two decades to project its image on the global stage, and last year it successfully hosted the Arab world’s first football World Cup.

In 2011, Qatar Sports Investments, a state-controlled vehicle, acquired French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Speculation has been rife that either the QSI or the QIA, the sovereign wealth fund, were interested in buying a stake in Manchester United. But any majority bids would have been complicated by rules under Uefa, European football’s governing body, which prevent any entity controlling two clubs competing in the same competitions.

A person familiar with the Manchester United discussions said no government-related entity, including QIA and QSI, was bidding for United. Neither was the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim, or his close relatives.

The QIA had discussions with United and Liverpool months ago about a possible minority stake but decided that it did not make financial sense, the person said.

The Glazer family has owned the Red Devils and 20-time English league champions since 2005, when their £790mn leveraged buyout burnt relations with the club’s fan base from the start. The Glazers confirmed that they were considering a sale as part of a wider strategic review announced in November last year.

The auction is seen as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire one of the biggest sport brands in the world and take a seat in the small club of owners in the Premier League, the world’s top football division by revenues.

The New York-listed club’s shares have soared to record highs above $26.50 this week, valuing the club at around $4.4bn by market capitalisation. The stock traded at roughly $13 before the Glazers revealed in November that they were considering a sale.

A spokesman for the bid declined to comment on its value.
 

mu4c_20le

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If the Qataris buy us we will be the top of the pile, ahead of City ahead of what the Saudis will do at Newcastle.

United has its legacy and legitimate revenue streams plus the largest fan base.

I genuinely think we will pull the best players and be back in the glory days soon, no more Glazers thank Feck.

Imagine Qatar Airways shirt sponsor and no debts, we can go hard in every transfer window with no mucking around in transfer sagas.
There is no guarantee of success, especially in such a competitive league. Best case scenario is the new owners being stand off ish like the Glazers, but you don't pay billions for a toy that you have no say in.

For example, I could see them getting fed up with Antony and trying to replace him. Will be interesting how ETH works with that.
 

tenpoless

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Not exactly a huge bank.
Islamic bank often operates under Sharia law which have more constraints that make them not as profitable as traditional banks (simply put they cant just slap an interest to a loan, there are rules to that). Their primary market also lies within people who also believe in Sharia law, so more limited. In my opinion they're a bit more ethical than traditional banks but Im not an expert on it.
 

Attila

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Do you really believe that Ten Hag is so much into star power - or do you think he has more interest to build a very strong team? If you do not want to have that superstar the top club EPL money (not being backed by an arabian state) actually should be enough.
Do you think Ten Hag would rather have the Qatar bid fail and the Glazers stay on?
 

MDFC Manager

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Am I right in saying the guy bidding is basically the uncle (on their father's side) of the current Emir and the Emi Martinez guy?
If I've traced the family tree correctly, the current ruler is 2 generations below the banker who's bidding for us. So like a grand uncle to the current emir
 

Gurtej

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Can I ask someone to point out why Qatar is somehow not ethical ownership? Just 5 points. Thank you
 

BD

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Come off the high horse mate. The club is going to cost a shit load of cash. You either get a state backed buyer, a crazy billionaire or a private equity firm with leveraged cash (‘leeches’). The type of owner you seek does not exist.
But we could at least be somewhat against the idea of this type of takeover, rather than just shrug shoulders and say that's life.
 

AlPistacho

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I hope as a United fan he doesn’t go the PSG way. Leaves signings up to the manager, and focuses on signing young future WC players but unlike our previous boards (mostly before the Glazers funnily enough) won’t refuse the establish world class singing our manager thinks is essential.
 

17 Van der Gouw

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Going to fill the car up must be a heartbreaking experience for so many people in this thread
Dream come true

This better go through

Absolutely buzzing tonight
I dont understand, but I respect your opinion. Is it a dream come true because of the investment in players we'll receive?

Look, I don't like the fact that to be competitive every big club needs a sugar daddy/oil state owner; but I'm pragmatic enough to understand that is the way the game has gone - City and PSG were just the beginning. I'm not going to say it's 'better the devil you know' with the Glazers, but at the same time, I'm never going to celebrate United becoming a sportswashing project for a state with an abysmal human rights record.
 

kaku06

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Qatar should be rejected in every way possible
You have to identify the person first which we are all doing to our full capabilities but still can’t figure out.

I say they deserve to be the owners based on this genius decoy.
 

Blackwidow

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Imo there aren’t that many stars to get excited about outside of England anymore. If I were a rival I wouldn’t be worried about what he’d bring to the first 11 but the squad he’ll build behind it. If he can get 25 players all of high standard and be able to rotate without sacrifice then it could be machine like.
I’m not talking about two top class players in each position but having subs of the hugest calibre that doesn’t cause problems.
I just do not think he really would need crazy money for that. But yes, if Qatar buys the sums he will need for the same players will get crazy... And I think that ETH is the reasonable guy that likes some kind of natural growth and implementing the 2 academy guys into the squad each year. A Rashford for the team is far more important than Mr. Superstar from e.g. Brazil... (And I guess ETH has shown how he likes that he behaves)
 

Dazzmondo

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I like that there will be a focus on youth. I feel like we have a greater reputation for promoting youth than any other English team yet our academy has fallen far behind the likes Chelsea and City, and even the likes of Palace are arguably outperforming us. Really want to see us focus on getting the best young players in the world again.
 

AlPistacho

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Sorry if I'm all confused by this guy. Is he 100% part of the royal family or is he just a rich Qatari banker with connections? If he's just a rich Qatari united fan without direct connections to the state then that would be great?
Both can be true.
 

RedPed

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Qatar should be rejected in every way possible
Yeah, let's just stick with owners who come from a country that routinely mows down kids while they are learning 2 + 2 and still support law enforcement that just love to use black people as target practice whilst our own people regularly abuse black players on social media.
 

Mickeza

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I hope as a United fan he doesn’t go the PSG way. Leaves signings up to the manager, and focuses on signing young future WC players but unlike our previous boards (mostly before the Glazers funnily enough) won’t refuse the establish world class singing our manager thinks is essential.
Everything said and leaked so far doesn’t suggest they’re going that way. They’re very good at PR at least. The entire media campaign so far has been textbook.
 
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