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Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani is reportedly still interested in a future takeover of Man Utd.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani is reportedly still interested in a possible takeover of Manchester United ahead of fresh protests against the ownership of the club this weekend. United are almost certain to record their lowest finish of the Premier League era this season and are making extensive cuts across all departments as they look to get the men's first-team back on track.
The 1958 supporters' group have asked United fans to march in unison to Old Trafford ahead of their clash with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon and wear black clothing to symbolise how the club is 'slowly dying' under the current ownership. It comes a week after the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust showed support for the Football Supporters’ Association’s Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign over concerns about rising ticket prices at a time when the club debt has reached £1billion.
United fans might wonder what could have been had Sheikh Jassim invested in the club rather than Sir Jim Ratcliffe last year, with reports suggesting he was prepared to pay-off the club's existing debt.
Sheikh Jassim stance on new 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 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 £1.25 billion that 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 fully-funded plans for a new stadium within days of announcing their takeover. It must all be taken with a pinch of salt, given he could not provide proof of his funds during the process.
Ruben Amorim backs fan protests
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the Premier League clash against Arsenal this weekend, United head coach Ruben Amorim backed supporters in their latest protests against the ownership of the club. Last month, it was announced another 200 jobs could be made redundant at Old Trafford after United lost almost £300m over the past three years.
“For everybody in our club it’s a really tough moment,” Amorim said at his latest media briefing. “It’s everything at the same time. The only thing I can do, and our players, is perform well and win.
“People have the right to protest. I think it’s a good thing to do that. It’s part of our club. Everybody has a voice. But our job and my job is just to improve the team and give them something in this moment because they deserve it and they are amazing.”
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