Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
Manchester United is one of the world's most famous and most widely supported clubs. The club's history and stature are unlike that of any other in world football, the name is legendary and is woven throughout the fabric of the beautiful game.
However, Manchester United has gone through some turbulent times in recent years. The results have been poor, several managers have been sacked, and the club was involved in a public and rather embarrassing dispute with perhaps its most famous player, Cristiano Ronaldo.
While the root cause of these issues is no doubt multi-faceted and highly complex, many fans can trace the problems back to one singular issue – the owners. Manchester United is owned by the billionaire Glazer family, who have come under increasing scrutiny recently. So much so, in fact, that they have confirmed that they are interested in selling the club. What does a potential takeover mean for Manchester United and the fans? Find out here.
The Glazer took over Manchester United in 2005, in a deal valued at around £790 million. Since then football has changed significantly. Investment from the Middle East has disrupted the long-standing football hierarchy, with newly-rich teams like Manchester City suddenly becoming footballing powerhouses.
United fans accuse the Glazers of not spending to keep up with the evolving game. Money is everything in football nowadays, clubs have to prepare to spend if they want to see success. However, spending isn't just about buying players. United has spent plenty on the first team, to varying degrees of success, but fans are concerned that other areas of the club such as backroom teams and training facilities have been neglected by the owners. This, they believe, is a major factor that has contributed to the club's decline. While fans will always buy Man United tickets, protests and banners have long been pressuring the owners, and it seems they have finally relented.
There have been two bids submitted for the club so far. British billionaire Sir James Ratcliffe moved to take over 69% of Manchester United last week. However, the frontrunner is believed to be Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Islamic Bank, who made a bid for 100% of the club and has been spotted at matches at Old Trafford in recent weeks.
It's impossible to predict the future, so the exact outcome of a takeover cannot be stated with any real accuracy. However, fans will be hoping that new owners will come with new ideas and new plans for the future. If reports are to be believed, Manchester United under the Glazers failed to modernize. Football is constantly evolving and always changing, clubs need to be one step ahead of their rivals if they want to be successful.
Whoever takes over Manchester United, be it with money from the East or West, must be prepared to spend and invest heavily if they ever want the chance to reestablish the club as one of the world's true footballing titans.
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