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The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) has released official comments regarding two bids to acquire Manchester United.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are the only known parties to formally offer to buy the club, besides Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
Ratcliffe reportedly found Wall Street backers to fund his takeover offer.
Fans are a little disillusioned with Ratcliffe’s potential ownership due to an unconfirmed debt situation.
Meanwhile, the nature of the emir’s Qatari roots has become a controversial topic, as the country’s treatment and perspectives of migrant workers, women, and LGTBQ+ people have become a controversial topic.
The MUST statements are:
“At the start of the sale process, MUST have been very clear about our list of demands for the new owners of Manchester United.
“These were to bring the club back to the top of European football, invest in teams, wider clubs and stadiums, ensure financial stability and always work in true partnership with the fans. supported by 150 fan groups to date.
“The open letter to potential bidders is published here: https://www.imust.org.uk/Blog/Entry/open-letter-to-potential-bidders-for-manchester-united
“Bids are judged against these criteria, but when news of a particular bid comes, further consideration is required.
“Given the very close ties between some of the bidders and the owners of other European clubs, including PSG and Nice, there are questions about the integrity of the sport. There is also some doubt as to whether there will be a bid as well.
“We also note the importance of owners respecting the rights of all people, especially women and the LGBTQ+ community. Concerns have been raised by other fan groups that we fully support. I’m here.
“We strongly encourage all bidders to open a dialogue with fan groups in parallel with the bidding process with the club to discuss their proposals, including the above issues.
“Finally everyone can see the progress the team has made under Eric Ten Hag. must explicitly commit to supporting Eric and his plan to bring United back to glory.”
Fan support for future acquisitions may have little to do with who succeeds and who fails, but as current owners know all too well, bad relationships with fans can affect business going forward. have a bad effect.
So the MUST concern could act as litmus test paper as to whether the new owners will listen to their fans and be open to their opinions.