Sheikh Jassim bin al Thani, known as Sheikh Jassim for short, seems to be the fan favorite among those in contention to purchase Manchester United Football Club.
That’s because he’s the only bidder out there who is willing to go all in, and purchase the entire operation, 100%. However, this isn’t scoring points with the Glazer family, who essentially hold all the cards right now.
Today we’ll cover the latest on the MUFC takeover race, from both the perspective of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheik Jassim, and also analyze the eyebrow-raising comments made by club icon David Beckham on the situation.
Having already covered Ratcliffe in the last post, let’s get to Sheikh Jassim now. The Qatari investment banker has spent a lot of time as the “front-runner” according to the narratives that have surrounded this saga. But he’s now apparently fallen behind Ratcliffe, in what is only a two horse race.
Despite no longer being the favorite, reports indicate that Sheikh Jassim is just maintaining the status quo, holding steady, remaining calm. The Mirror has more on him, and the takeover race itself. Meanwhile the the Manchester Evening News says that Sheik Jassim has just days to save his bid, and that a Ratcliffe takeover is basically imminent.
So they paint a much different, i.e. darker picture. It’s really hard to say for sure, as no one really knows what is going on here.
Both Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim have taken turns as the front-runner, at some point, during this race.
At the end of the day, it is all about the Glazer valuation of the club, and who, if anybody, meets it. The Glazers are looking to get £6bn for their prized asset, and so far, neither Sheikh Jassim nor Sir Jim Ratcliffe have met that price; despite multiple bids.
Football agent Jon Smith has recently said that Sheikh Jassim might have to overpay in order to secure a deal (h/t Football Fan Cast). And he might be right, given how much sports franchises are selling for these days.
“To be honest here, I’m not inside this deal, but I know quite a few of the funds who are close to the two bidders. It would appear vaguely intelligent for the Glazers to have looked again at the Gulf and said there’s a bigger game here, and we don’t want to sell ourselves short.
“They’ve got arguably the biggest entity on planet football, and if the Qataris are going to pay £5bn, maybe they’ll pay £10bn. Maybe it’s just a number, and they’ll settle on seven.
“These deals are notoriously complicated, and this is the biggest one of them all. I’m just of the belief that it’s a very heavy negotiation, and it’s ultimately all about the money, obviously, but also about the timing. I think the takeover is going to complete in some shape or form. It’s just a question of when.”
Smith believes this is all about when, not if. Which is what David Beckham said as well, which we’ll cover in the next post.
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.