'Big level of interest' - Sheikh Jassim stance on Manchester United takeover bid as new fan protest planned
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani has not given up any hope of one day owning Man Utd.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani has reportedly not given up hope of completing a future Manchester United takeover after fresh protests against the current ownership were announced. This week marks 20 years since the Glazer family completed their controversial takeover of the club, an anniversary that coincides with United set to record their worst ever Premier League finish.
United find themselves 16th in the Premier League and are making extensive cuts across all departments as they look to get the men's first team back on track. Ruben Amorim admitted he was 'embarrassed' by the situation he finds himself in after his side lost 2-0 at home to West Ham over the weekend.
The 1958 supporters' group announced a fresh protest against the ownership of their club before the final game of the Premier League season against Aston Villa next week, to draw further attention to the 'greed, decay, and betrayal' of the Glazer family. United are in the process of any round of redundancies this year at a time when club debt has reached £1billion, yet Sir Jim Ratcliffe has unveiled plans to build a new stadium at an estimated cost of £2billion. It is understandable why some supporters still wish Sheikh Jassim invested in the club rather than Ratcliffe last year, with reports suggesting he was prepared to pay-off the club's existing debt.
Sheikh Jassim stance on Manchester United takeover
It is understood Sheikh Jassim and the Nine Two Foundation made a £4.79billion offer to buy Manchester United outright from the Glazer family. However, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings released last year claimed the Qatari failed to provide sufficient proof of funds before he eventually withdrew from the process. His withdrawal led to the Glazers accepting an offer from Jim Ratcliffe to buy a quarter of the club's shares for £1.25billion, which valued the club at the £5bn mark.
The Daily Mail previously claimed Sheikh Jassim is still very much interested in any investment opportunity and dreams of owning the team he supposedly supports. "He is still a United fan. He is not going to rush off and try another Premier League club," a Qatari advisor told them. "If the opportunity to buy the whole of Manchester United arose again at some point in the future, it is hard to see there not being a big level of interest. The plans are still there."
The report also claimed Sheikh Jassim would have removed all the club's debt and revealed his own fully-funded plans for a new stadium within days of announcing their hypothetical takeover. It must be stressed that these claims should be taken with a pinch of salt, given that he could not provide proof of his funds during the initial process.