Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim seen as frontrunner to buy Manchester United
After buying French club Paris Saint-Germain a few years ago, 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar had been on the lookout for further investments in football.
So around a month ago, when news first emerged that a Qatari entity was interested in buying British club side Manchester United, there was no big surprise.
A few days later, it was confirmed that Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, through the newly formed Nine Two Foundation, was the person interested in buying the super club. British multi billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group has also put up a rival bid.
But now, reports in the British media suggest that Sheikh Jassim, who is the son of former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani and the Chairman of the Qatar Islamic Bank, has emerged as the frontrunner to buy the coveted club.
Sheikh Jassim’s representatives are expected to hold their first face-to-face meeting with the club’s executive on Thursday, reported The Guardian newspaper. The British paper said Sheikh Jassim was the favoured bidder for the Glazer family, who owns United, in part due to his potential to open up business opportunities for them in his region.
It is understood that the Glazers are yet to warm to Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest person, who is due to see them on Friday with his advisers.
While Sheikh Jassim has promised to buy 100% of United without taking on any debt, Ratcliffe is understood to want only the Glazers’ 69% share.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin hinted that rules which prohibits clubs with the same owners from playing in the same European competition could be dropped soon. Ineos owns Nice and Lausanne while Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) are owners of PSG. Sheikh Jassim, however, is not related to QSI in any way.
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