It’s a very fluid situation, and a lot could change by the time you read this, but the consortium led by Sheikh Jassim will submit a new bid to buy Manchester United by the end of this weekend. That’s according to Sky News, who report that the Qatari banker will have his bid over to Raine Group, the NY investment bank overseeing the process of behalf of the Glazers, by either today, or the weekend.
The other main candidate to purchase the club, INEOS Founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, reportedly submitted his bid last night.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani will submit his new bid for Manchester United either later today or over the weekend ? pic.twitter.com/JKmdvDg7rV
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 24, 2023
You also have a third candidate, who also made their intentions clear in the public arena- Finnish Businessman Thomas Zilliacus. However, he is not widely considered to be a front-runner, as Sheikh Jassim has long been considered the supposed favorite.
Of course, a lot of that is pure speculation, and we honestly don’t know why the second bid from the Qataris was delayed.
It could be that the consortium wanted to just be meticulous and specific with the details of their bid. It could be that Sheik Jassim and his cohorts want to increase the monetary amount in their bid.
There seems to be a conventional wisdom out there that Qatar will outbid Ratcliffe, if needs be. However, that hasn’t been confirmed yet. Speaking of perception and reputation, this narrative below is circulating on social media, among Manchester United focused websites:
???| Qatar Representative:
“They have been instructed [by Sheikh Jassim] not to return [to Qatar] until an agreement has been reached.” pic.twitter.com/ky9jzXK3fg
— UtdChronicle (@UtdChronicle) March 24, 2023
The belief is that Sheikh Jassam and the Qatari bidders are steadfast and determined to get the club, and that they really see no point in bidding for the club, if said bid will not be successful. If that’s the case, then you really have to admire them- they don’t mess around!
In the words Eminem, or Slim Shady, or Marshall Mathers “let’s get down to business! I ain’t got no time to play around what is this?!”
Also, a Glazer family stay isn’t ruled out entirely yet. In fact, it is still possible, and we covered that in the next post here.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.