QATAR’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe have both submitted offers to buy Manchester United.
Current owners the Glazers set Friday as a soft deadline for bids to be lodged.
Sheikh Jassim’s offer for full control of United is believed to be £5billion.
And despite Friday’s 10pm deadline, Saudi and US-led consortia are still believed to be in the contest.
The Glazers revealed in November that they were willing to listen to offers for either a stake in the United or an outright purchase.
And here SunSport take a look at the two confirmed bidders.
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Who are they?
Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani is chairman of one of Qatar’s biggest banks, QIB.
He is also the son of a former prime minister of Qatar and a member of the Gulf state’s ruling royal family.
According to the Guardian, he become a United fan in 1992, which is why his foundation is called the Nine Two Foundation, also a reference to the famous Class of ’92.
Meanwhile Ratcliffe, 70, is also a Red Devils supporter, and was born in Oldham.
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He previously revealed last summer that he was interested in taking over the club.
He is chairman and CEO of chemicals group INEOS, which owns French club Nice, Swiss outfit Lausanne, plus a third of Formula One team Mercedes.
What is their net worth?
Sheikh Jassim is chairman of Qatari bank QIB, which has assets of £42bn.
He is also part of Qatar’s ruling royal family.
And his offer will raise questions over potential links with PSG, who are owned by the £370bn Qatari Investment Authority.
Meanwhile, The Sunday Times ‘Rich List’ in 2022 estimated Ratcliffe’s personal fortune at £6.1bn.
And his overall net worth is around £11.3bn, according to Bloomberg.
What are their plans for Man Utd?
Sheikh Jassim’s “debt free” bid through his Nine Two Foundation plans to “return the club to its former glories”.
United have not won the Premier League since the 2012-13 season, but the bid from Qatar will not only focus on matters on the pitch.
A statement said: “The bid plans to return the club to its former glories.
“The bid will be completely debt free via Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation, which will look to invest in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the club supports.
“The vision of the bid is for Manchester United to be renowned for footballing excellence, and regarded as the greatest football club in the world.”
Ratcliffe on the other hand is targeting a take over of the club that he has supported since he was a boy.
A source told Sky News that Ratcliffe’s offer is a: “British bid to make the club a beacon for a modern, progressive, fan-centred approach to ownership.”
Who do the fans want?
United LGBTQ+ supporters’ group Rainbow Devils voiced concerns about interest from Qatar, where same-sex relationships are criminalised.
A statement said: “Rainbow Devils believe any bidder must commit to making football a sport for everyone, including LGBTQ+ supporters, players and staff.
“We therefore have deep concern over some of the bids that are being made.”
And United fans told SunSport that Ratcliffe is their preferred owner.
In a vote, 45.75 per cent of fans voted in favour of the Oldham-born billionaire, who has experience in owning a football club, assuming control.
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But that was only marginally ahead of the 44.55 per cent of fans who voted for Qatari investors.
3.59 per cent of the vote was in favour of the Glazers staying in charge, while 6.11 per cent of people voting preferred someone other than the previous options.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
