LONDON, 18 Feb. (dpa/EP) –
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, president of the chemical group INEOS, has confirmed that he has launched an offer to buy Manchester United, which he has promised to make the “number one club in the world again” if the operation goes ahead.
The British company will compete with the wealthy Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani to acquire the Old Trafford club, now in the hands of the Glazer family. Ratcliffe, 70, is one of the richest people in the United Kingdom, with an estimated net worth of 12,500 million pounds -more than 14,000 million euros-.
“We can confirm that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have submitted a bid for majority ownership of Manchester United Football Club. We would view our role as Manchester United’s long-term custodians on behalf of the fans and society at large,” the company confirmed. in a statement released by the PA news agency.
“We are ambitious and very competitive, and we want to invest in Manchester United to make it the number one club in the world again. We want Manchester United rooted in its proud history and roots in the North West of England, bringing Manchester back to Manchester United. and focusing clearly on winning the Champions League,” he continued.
Ratcliffe, who is also the owner of the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team, of Nice in Ligue 1, of the Swiss club Lausanne-Sport and who is a shareholder of a third of the Mercedes Formula 1 team, has already stated on other occasions that he is a follower of the United for life. Last year he unsuccessfully tried to buy Chelsea.
Like Ratcliffe, Al Thani, the chairman of Qatari bank QIB, has been a United fan since childhood, saying his offer would leave the Old Trafford club debt-free, in contrast to the Glazer family’s controversial leveraged buyout in 2003.
In a statement made public on Friday night, Al Thani confirmed “an offer for 100% of Manchester United.” “The offer is intended to restore the club to its former splendor, both on and off the pitch and, above all, to put the fans back at the center of Manchester United Football Club,” he explained.
The PA news agency assures that the Raine Group, hired to help United evaluate the offers, wants the purchase process to be accelerated and believes that the first quarter of the year will be key. United could even have a new owner at the end of this season.
But ahead of the Qatari announcement – and the possibility of a rival bid from Saudi Arabia – Manchester United Rainbow Devils’ LGBTQ supporter group expressed “deep concern” about interest from countries where same-sex relationships they are penalized. “Rainbow Devils believe that any bidder looking to buy Manchester United must commit to making football a sport for all, including LGBTQ fans, players and staff,” the group said on Twitter.
The Glazer family opened United to offers in November, giving fans hope their controversial reign was coming to an end. United, third in the Premier League, five points behind leaders Manchester City, return to the competition on Sunday when they take on Leicester at Old Trafford.
