The immediate financial future of English giants Manchester United remains uncertain and once again an increasing point of contention between owners Avram and Joel Glazer, and the club’s worldwide fanbase after the chairman pair are reportedly hoping for a third round of bidding despite massive interest.
At the time of writing, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are the only two parties that have fielded bids that would see them become full owners of the storied club but said bids still fall short of what the Glazers are holding out for. This prompted communication from the pair that they prefer another round of bidding, which has been viewed as “farcical” and could stand in the way of full ownership change.
Now, according to The Telegraph, US investment behemoth The Carlyle Group is set to table an offer to give them a minority stake in the club, but would keep the Glazers rooted in their place; reality fans are wholly opposed to.
Carlyle has a reported $373 billion in assets under management in their portfolio, and would hardly struggle to secure a sizable chunk of the shares, which, moving forward, could possibly turn into majority ownership, but with the Glazers wanting their £6bn valuation of the club to be met, the immediate pathway remains unclear.
This situation has untenable for the club’s fanbase, who have once again taken to social media in protest against the decision-making at the top of the club’s hierarchical structure, in a bid to finally rid the English institution of its widely-hated owners.
Though it is a farce to suggest that the club has not invested heavily in the senior squad in recent years, what is undeniable is the fact that the club’s world-famous ground as well as its training facilities at Carrington are far off the current standard set by the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham; a reality mentioned by Cristiano Ronaldo during his sit-down with British TV pundit Piers Morgan.
Should the Glazers remain majority holders if any minority bid from Carlyle is accepted, how fans will respond remains to be seen but it is fair to suggest that further protests would result at the very least.
