Man Utd bidder pulls out of takeover’ ‘farce’ as Neville slams Glazers for ‘all-time low’

admin 29 April 2024, 10:15 yayınlandı

Thomas Zilliacus has refused to make a third bid for Manchester United as he slammed the Glazers for creating a ‘farce’.

The Finnish businessman, along with fellow bidders Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani were all prepared to negotiate a deal to buy United, but Zilliacus has pulled out of the process as .

He alleges that the current United owners are simply trying to ‘maximise profit’ and have ‘no respect for the club’.

Zilliacus tweeted: ‘I have declined participation in a third bidding round for United. The bidding is turning into a farce, with Glazers giving no respect to the club. The delays will make it very difficult for any new owner to build a winning team for next season.’

‘Jim Ratcliffe, Sheikh Jassim and myself all were ready to negotiate a deal to buy United. Instead, Glazers chose to start a new round. I will not participate in a farce set up to maximise the profit for the sellers at the expense of Manchester United.’

In a further tweet on Thursday morning, he added: ‘I hope whoever buys United understands how to engage fans. For another top football club my company has built services that bring in 400 USD (£319.95) per year per participating fan. United’s total revenue in 2022 was 709 million USD (£567m). That can be doubled.’

Meanwhile, Gary Neville believes the Glazers’ tenure has hit an “all time low” after Old Trafford was snubbed in the UK and Ireland’s joint bid to host Euro 2028.

The five nations have come together as they look to host the tournament with the documentation submitted to UEFA including the 10 stadiums selected to host the games, and Old Trafford is not among them.

Old Trafford remains the largest club ground in the UK and has previously hosted the Champions League final and was England’s favoured home whilst Wembley was unavailable. However, after years of neglect, the stadium has been overlooked for the Etihad, which is viewed as far more modern and suitable.

Neville said: “The Glazer family have, for years, been warned about a lack of investment in Old Trafford. They have overseen a decline for 20 years in which it has gone from being one of the best stadiums in the world to one that can’t even get into the top 10 in the UK and Ireland. This is an all-time low. That it is not in the best 10 to host a tournament is a joke.”