Would you be happy to see the Glazers sell to Saudi Arabia-backed owners?

[Infra-red]

No, absolutely not.

Manchester United reduced to nothing more than a fig leaf, a distraction, a bit of PR for one of the most heinous human rights abusing regimes in the whole world. I'd be embarrassed to call myself a United fan.

This club is a great institution - to see it ruined in that way would be incredibly sad.

 

[Gordon S]

Yeah, success on a football pitch is not THAT important. Rather keep our current owners if that is the choice.
There must surely be another, slightly less bad option out there.

 

[redNATION]

I am also thinking this sale is probably being negotiated now. The fact that they have come out with a definite figure for the sale, suggests this. You don't normally get a peep out of them.

Where did they come out with a figure?

 

[RedDevil@84]

Happy?? Probably not.

Shocked, sad and no longer able to support the club - No ways. Just another owner for me.

I use/buy many products which are invested in by the Saudis - Twitter, Facebook, Uber, Citibank, Disney etc etc.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Needs a poll. I'd be genuinely interested in seeing the results, since there are loads of posters on here who don't voice their opinions in threads like this - but who will probably vote in a poll.

 

[Redlambs]

No.

I'll always take being where we are through history and what we generate over being another soulless entity being funded by one scumbag or another at the detriment of people.

 

[Coops73]

I’m going to play devil’s advocate here.

I posted a similar question in another thread asking if people would be happy if the Saudis bought United and invested in the squad and infrastructure, local community etc while at the same time giving fans a sizeable stake within the club.

I’m not saying that the Saudis are “good” people, from the Little understanding I have of the country and it’s rulers they seem like a nasty regime but maybe with the small things that they are doing (women being allowed to drive for instance) they are trying to change centuries of oppression and governance slowly but surely, the history of the family of Saud is pretty dark from what I understand and maybe MBS is trying change that buying a club like United and doing the right thing by it’s fans and the local community, it may cost them 5-6 billion but it wouldn’t be about making money for them, it would be about changing perceptions which is probably worth more to them than anything else and what better way to get attention than buying Manchester United.

I’m not for or against them at this juncture, people keep saying on here how horrible they are and it’s bringing out some quite strong emotions but I don’t really know enough to comment on them. I don’t want us to be owned by an oppressive state especially in the way city or PSG are but if they gave fans a sizeable percentage of the club would peoples emotions change towards them?

 

[Zlatattack]

Happy?? Probably not.

Shocked, sad and no longer able to support the club - No ways. Just another owner for me.

I use/buy many products which are invested in by the Saudis - Twitter, Facebook, Uber, Citibank, Disney etc etc.

Exactly. How many of us have stopped using their oil? That would actually bring about piece in the world.

People like the House of Saud are shitbags, they are going to continue to be shitbags, if they spend some money funding my team, it's money not used elsewhere.

 

[Nytram Shakes]

No.
I think I prefer the club being a cash cow for owner than I prefer it to a propaganda play thing for country with that kind of human rights record

 

[DWelbz19]

Better the [red] devil you know, I suppose. An ethical billionaire owner is an oxymoron, sure, but I don’t actually think you can get much worse than the Saudi’s.

 

[lex talionis]

I do not want to see our club owned by criminal thugs.

 

[RealBarcelonaUnited]

Its like choosing whether to have your right testicle cut off or your left testicle cut off


Glazers are shit owners
Saudi would be shit owners

This, unfortunately.
It'll really be the straw that breaks the camel back to supporting this club

 

[Matthew84!]

Well I might be alone but I'd take anyone over the Glazers, if the new owners would plough money into the team like City then I wouldn't complain one bit,
Would i prefer a Utd fan to own it of course but that is very unlikely

 

[Offside!]

Exactly. How many of us have stopped using their oil? That would actually bring about piece in the world.

People like the House of Saud are shitbags, they are going to continue to be shitbags, if they spend some money funding my team, it's money not used elsewhere.

They have been directly funding United for years via Saudi Telecom. Aeroflot are also state owned and last time I checked Russia was run by a gangster.

Whilst it's not quite the same as owning the club anyone thinking United are ethically funded needs to think again.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

I would be very very sad about it

 

[Tarrou]

If the club is ever sold to people affiliated to the Saudi Arabian government, I will stop supporting it. That's my line.

out of interest have you boycotted Uber, Disney, Facebook and BP oil too? They've invested in all those.

 

[Oldyella]

Short answer? No. Long answer? Nooooooo.

 

[FatTails]

out of interest have you boycotted Uber, Disney, Facebook and BP oil too? They've invested in all those.

Invested =/= majority holder and decision maker, which is what I assume this thread is about.

 

[OleBoiii]

No.

 

[Born2Lose]

That's the day I turn my back on the club and football.

 

[RedDevil@84]

I’m going to play devil’s advocate here.

I posted a similar question in another thread asking if people would be happy if the Saudis bought United and invested in the squad and infrastructure, local community etc while at the same time giving fans a sizeable stake within the club.

I’m not saying that the Saudis are “good” people, from the Little understanding I have of the country and it’s rulers they seem like a nasty regime but maybe with the small things that they are doing (women being allowed to drive for instance) they are trying to change centuries of oppression and governance slowly but surely, the history of the family of Saud is pretty dark from what I understand and maybe MBS is trying change that buying a club like United and doing the right thing by it’s fans and the local community, it may cost them 5-6 billion but it wouldn’t be about making money for them, it would be about changing perceptions which is probably worth more to them than anything else and what better way to get attention than buying Manchester United.

I’m not for or against them at this juncture, people keep saying on here how horrible they are and it’s bringing out some quite strong emotions but I don’t really know enough to comment on them. I don’t want us to be owned by an oppressive state especially in the way city or PSG are but if they gave fans a sizeable percentage of the club would peoples emotions change towards them?

Do you want your football club to be owned by regimes who are directly involved in murder, human rights abuse etc etc.

or

Do you want your football club to be owned by businessmen who fund politicians/parties that support these regimes, sell weapons to them, or do business deals with these evil regimes and invite these regimes to invest in hundreds of companies in the country.

And then there is a whole thing that we consume many products that are all invested into by these regimes anyways.

 

[Fluctuation0161]

No.

Edit: We could ask Jamal Khashoggi what his thoughts are on the matter... oh wait.

 

[predator]

Is any billionaire 'ethical'?

 

[Tarrou]

Invested =/= majority holder and decision maker, which is what I assume this thread is about.

they have a seat on the board of directors at Uber

 

[Fluctuation0161]

Is any billionaire 'ethical'?

If we are talking about the Saudi Royals then are any murders ethical would be a better question.

 

[pierrethesnack]

out of interest have you boycotted Uber, Disney, Facebook and BP oil too? They've invested in all those.

Although I wouldn't stop supporting the club if it ever happened, I do think it's legitimate for people to feel that way, even if they don't live their life strictly by these principles otherwise. Football is emotional, and I don't really see any hypocrisy in having a Huawei phone while not feeling able to support a club owned by a notoriously awful regime.

 

[SuperiorXI]

I wish there was someone that could afford to buy the club and spend what the club makes rather than take money out every year. We'd do quite well without much investment.

 

[Acquire Me]

No.

 

[davidmichael]

From what I know or read they’re apparently morally awful people but if I’m honest this whole “no I don’t want them because we want our owners to be good people” thing is sheer fantasy, in an ideal world of course we’d love our owners to be good people with great intentions and love the club but that isn’t going to happen because football now is a business and treated as such at the highest levels.

 

[Ødegaard]

The clubs success is not as important as standing up to human rights violators.

While I want the club to do well, I don't want it to be used as a pr campaign by the Saudis.

 

[Tarrou]

Although I wouldn't stop supporting the club if it ever happened, I do think it's legitimate for people to feel that way, even if they don't live their life strictly by these principles otherwise. Football is emotional, and I don't really see any hypocrisy in having a Huawei phone while not feeling able to support a club owned by a notoriously awful regime.

yeah I agree, people can feel however they want to feel about it

it's just an interesting discussion as to where you draw the line with these things

 

[11101]

No. They would be the limit.

I would continue to watch games but I wouldn't support them they way i do now.

 

[RedDevil@84]

Is any billionaire 'ethical'?

Hardly. Most of them support govts that indulge in gross abuse of their powers and use public money for their own propaganda and clinging on to power. On the other hand, most govt in civil countries do not make their critics vanish by inviting them into the embassies.

 

[Green_Red]

No thanks.

 

[joedirt87]

Yes if it means better financial backing and putting the right people in place to focus on getting United back to winning.

 

[SuperiorXI]

Is any billionaire 'ethical'?

Probably not possible to be ethical and also have a billion quid in your bank.

 

[pierrethesnack]

yeah I agree, people can feel however they want to feel about it

it's just an interesting discussion as to where you draw the line with these things

My main worry is that we'd get the negatives of being associated with them, while also not becoming a well run club like City. I don't know much about the Saudis, but I just suspect that rather than it being like being owned by Abu Dhabi, it would be like Abramovic, just a thousand times worse with MbS showing up at games and personally interfering in club matters.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Hell no.

 

[wolvored]

Where did they come out with a figure?

Was all over the media yesterday

 

[Frasbul]

out of interest have you boycotted Uber, Disney, Facebook and BP oil too? They've invested in all those.

Fair question, but I think there is a difference between using something – like facebook etc. – and loving something – like being a fan of a football club. I cannot and will not love something that is owned by people affiliated with a murderous government.