Ah think we’re onto something. It’s not UAE it’s the Swiss. Indy is a star !
Club ownership | Senior management team talk
- Thread starter golden_blunder
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In the latest edition of the United Hour Podcast, Imran (@Annihilate Now!) & Jamie (@Vault Dweller) are here to discuss disappointed FA Cup exit at the hands of Brighton - confirming our shortest season in over 100 years. They also discuss the news that Michael Carrick is set to be United's manager until the end of the season.
No, he was right about us going for a player we didnt sign once. He's basically Nostradamus.
I've no insider knowledge beyond dealing with some private equity groups, but a few points for anyone unfamiliar with the UAE:
- UAE Vision 2030 includes increased investment in both local and international sport with all sorts of projects and policies. Plan is to double the sport sector's contribution to GDP from $7 billion to $14 billion per year. Equally ambitious as Saudi, but a different plan. Less focus on star power, more grassroots, infrastructure, cultural and 'smart' investment.
- Increased interest in football by Emiratis as the national team are on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup for the second time ever. Italia '90 was first.
- Super-speed rail network launches in 2026. First casino in MENA in 2027. UAE is 25 times smaller than Saudi, alcohol is allowed, it's less culturally conservative than Saudi...the 'pitch' is that all this makes the UAE better suited as a regional hub for sports and tourism than KSA.
- The 7 emirates in the UAE are each ruled by a royal family. The President of the UAE is elected from these families - usually Abu Dhabi's. They (usually) get on, but have rivalries and projects that run in competition. There are few significant projects in or outside UAE that don't link to royalty.
- Case in point - ADUG own 81% of City Group, who own the bitters. ADUG is owned by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MZN). The Al Nahyan's are Abu Dhabi's royal family. MZN is currently Vice President of the UAE and Deputy Prime Minister of Abu Dhabi.
- MZN's older brother Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) is President of the UAE and Prime Minister of Abu Dhabi. He owns local football club - Al Ain. They are the oldest, most successful club in the UAE and won the Asian Champions League last year.
- Al Ain are sponsored by Emirates (owned by Dubai royalty) the rival airline to Etihad (owned by Abu Dhabi royalty). Until now, only Abu Dhabi royalty own a team outside UAE. The closest has been Emirates sponsoring Arsenal.
- Older brother MBZ is a lot more interested in football than MZN, despite never getting involved with City. There are different ideas about why he didn't.
- The 'how rich are the owners of X' numbers quoted in the press are pretty arbitrary. It's a crap guesstimate of the public investments added together with no knowledge of the underlying private wealth structures. It's like ranking icebergs by size from above water. Icebergs with the best lawyers and accountants in the world.
- A hypothetical takeover coming from inside the UAE would not happen without a degree of approval and involvement from parties connected to government/royalty.
- Acquiring the world's biggest football club/brand for under $10 billion to boost a project designed to bring in more than that per annum within 5 years, seems smart financially.
- I'd be shocked if an attempted takeover mirrored the way Qatari one that rivalled Radcliffe's was conducted.
Can't wait for the UAE derby in a few years
The two Manchester clubs becoming a toy thing of rich arabs. Sad state of affairs.
15 minutes until the big announcement
Not any sadder than the world cup in Qatar, La Liga games in the US or Ratcliffe sacking staff just to save the same amount as if you sold second hand Bruno boots to tourists at half time. Although the United City Arab Emirates Derby would be icing on the shit cake.
Apparently not
Big if true
Large if factual.
Obviously not, why is this source even allowed
Humongous if correct
Shits and giggles 'init'
Stop posting bollocks sources please
My theory:
Abu Dhabi have realised that city will always be a small club no matter how much money they pump in so will cut them loose. I also suspect the charges will go against them and the penalties mean it’s better just to buy Utd than hold on to city.
Abu Dhabi have realised that city will always be a small club no matter how much money they pump in so will cut them loose. I also suspect the charges will go against them and the penalties mean it’s better just to buy Utd than hold on to city.
That's a really bad theory
Doesn't Beckham hold closer ties to Qatar than to UAE?
I'm sorry
I thought Becks was contracted to Qatar as some sort of spokesman for 10 years?
He's owned a house and office building there since 2009, before he stopped playing. He's a megastar with close ties all over the middle east dating back decades. If there is any truth to the UAE, Beckham will want to be involved. Rio Ferdinand just moved to Dubai, too.
The Glazers and Sir Jim did all those hideous things you mentioned not the arabs.
Beckham giving a relaxed smile could really swing it
Aye, those two are on the payroll.
Rio posted a 'please let this be true' video for Qatar and claimed their CL win was 'a victory for football'.
I'd imagine they'll buy off a few other legends, also, for pr purposes.
I have a gut feeling that they will only take 5% of the shares and build the stadium for us. Not a full takeover
I think we can't truly say we have tried EVERYTHING to get rid of the Glazers until Becks drops his velvety smooth golden plums on their desk and makes them an offer for the club.
Football, like most of the modern world, is hour glassing. Huge, global corporations known across the globe and small, local, independent businesses that are imbedded within a specific geographical community.
It’s been really interesting to see what Stockport and Altrincham have done. Both have gone for the hyper local approach and it’s delivering success. Attendances are up alongside the community engagement, free tickets for kids, all of that good stuff.
I had a chat with a guy that was a director at Stockport. The current owner is a rich, local fan. During the takeover talks he very candidly said he could get them to the championship, but if they wanted premier league, despite being worth millions, his pockets just wouldn’t be deep enough.
Well yes. Obviously.
But a nation state (you're the one that mentioned "the arabs" not me btw)takeover isn't going to stop any of it. If anything, it will increase the march towards some of those.
The club being used as a tool in some kind of weird social/culture/political war between different nation states would ruin it for me. Seeing fans actively cheering it on would be the final, final nail in the coffin.
As a reminder to everyone, not being the Glazers or Ratcliffe isn't a selling point for a new owner. Maybe wait until they've actually announced who they are, how they plan on running the club etc before waving any new flags at OT. There were a lot of people who went mad for Jassim and I'm still not convinced that guy actually existed.
Qatar World Cup over America any day of the week.
Have city or psg sacked hundreds of their small-time local employee tho?
Our club has been used as a tool by the glazers since 2005 and not only that they plunged a perfectly healthy traditional english club with debt at unprecedented level that would make ordinary club go broke overnight.
Agreed.
As much as they're our rivals, somewhere deep down I feel bad for City fans who used to support an actual (albeit, shite) football club.
Now they're nothing but a hollow puppet who's sole purpose is to sports wash the owners' regime.
If we ever go that way that'll be the end for me personally. No judgement to anyone who doesn't give a shite / actively supports it, each to their own.
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This transfer cap will surely throw a spanner in the works for state interest in PL clubs? I’ve not read much about it admittedly, so it could be another scheme that’s doomed to fail and will be exploited in some way…
Neither would be preferable, but I'd opt for a US hosting if only Trump was absent.
They have plenty of crimes on their hands beside making extraneous staff redundant (i.e. not 'sacking).
It's incredible how this is overlooked, even justified, but 'dinner ladies'...
It's difficult listening to their supporters justify it. I work with a few and they just spout the same 'yeah but the west/fifa/red cartel' nonsense when criticised.
That's the future of our support when we are sold off for political scrap, too, and it turns my stomach
They'll probably just give them other jobs they'll never get to do. For example, sign Adam Wharton on £50,000 a week. "Another company" gives him a bonus of $150,000 a week to be the ambassador of a subsidiary of the regime. Ain't no way these state owned clubs are going to take the Football Associations shit. They are small time clowns.
Absolutely.
I get it - you support a club all your life, maybe your parents did, grandparents etc, it's a massive part of many of our lives. Then it gets hollowed out by some nefarious third party and made to dance to whatever tune they decide.
It's hard to admit that and leave it behind but as you say, the bending over backwards to ignore the truth is just a bit sad really. It'd be like us twisting ourselves in knots to convince people that the Glazers are anything but parasites. They're exactly that and we hate them for it, but at least they're one step short of sports washing.
Ratcliffe has clearly made mistakes since coming in, and getting into bed with the Glazers is very problematic - but overall I like the direction he's slowly pushing us in. I just see very little chance of it ever turning into full ownership, and when the Glazers want to sell up you'd expect the same unsavory regimes will be lining up to take us on.