Man Utd's ownership: A new dawn or more gloom?

With reports suggesting a drastic shift to Manchester United's ownership structure is imminent, will it mean a change in fortune for the Red Devils or could it lead to more gloom?

The race to own the Manchester club was a two-horse affair that featured Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and it is seemingly on the verge of coming to a close.

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The club's hierarchy is said to be set meet on Thursday to decide whether or not Ratcliffe will become a large minority stakeholder in the club, a decision that would see the Englishman win the race and become a 25% owner of the side, and one that now looks a formality. 

The Glazer family first purchased United for £790 million (R18 billion) in 2005, but in doing so, loaded debt on to the club in a deal that was criticised by supporters and marked the beginning of their frustration toward the ownership. 

It was reported earlier this year that the Red Devils are close to £1 billion (R22.9 billion) in debt, and Sheikh Jassim's promise to take the club out of their financial predicament, spend generously in the transfer market, refurbish its training centre Carrington, and modernise Old Trafford – something United fans have long been crying out for – was one supporters would have been excited by ever since he entered the race to purchase the club. 

The takeover process initially started in November last year, when the Glazer family announced they would be considering putting the club up for sale.

After multiple rounds of bids, though, it is now being reported that Jassim has pulled out of the race after submitting a bid of over £5 billion (R114 billion) with the intention of gaining full ownership, crushing the dreams of many fans who wish to see the back-end of the Glazer family. Instead, it looks like supporters will have to settle for the American family losing a 25% stake in the Manchester side. 

What the Old Trafford faithful may find positives in is reports suggesting that Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group are determined to take control of the footballing operations with its quarter share in the club, and are also said to want to eventually have full ownership – a situation fans will be pleased with.  

Supporters of the Red Devils have long been calling for the full sale of the club, holding protests and even disrupting matches to get their point across. 

The British billionaire does possess some experience in owning a football club. In fact, he owns three of them. He purchased Ligue 1 side OGC Nice in 2019, and also owns Swiss club FC Lausanne-Sport as well as Racing Club Abidjan in the Ivory Coast.

Although that experience may be a good thing, the multi-club ownership comes with both advantages and disadvantages. There is the possibility of the French side becoming a feeder club for United, which Nice fans are very wary of. It could also be a case where both the Ligue 1 team and the EPL side benefit, with promising youngsters from United going out on loan to gain experience while helping Nice achieve their goals for the season. On the flip side, the complications that arise from owning multiple clubs may cause a potential deal to fall through. 

Since Ratcliffe acquired the French club, their fortunes have been up and down, most notably recording a fifth-place finish at the end of the 2021/22 season. Thus far, his reported plan to kick Paris Saint-Germain off their porch has not gone according to script. 

Former Nice manager Christophe Galtier, who managed the club from July 2021 to June 2022, publicly criticised the club's recruitment prior to his departure. The French manager was also concerned about the people who were given authority to make transfer decisions there, according to The Guardian, and it was further reported that Galtier "lost faith" in the ownership. 

Meanwhile, a contradictory statement was given by former Nice player Jose Cobos. In an interview with Le Quotidien Du Sport (via United in Focus), the defender admitted to being satisfied with the INEOS reign.

"Many clubs would like to have such a shareholder. He [Ratcliffe] is discreet, but always present. When many clubs sold players, Nice bought a lot and made efforts to keep the team competitive," Cobos said. 

"Spending €40 million in a transfer window is not nothing. It proves that Jim Ratcliffe is still determined to help the club win."

After months of being in the dark about the sale of the club, the Manchester side's supporters will at least be relieved by some long-awaited clarity regarding the ownership situation.  

Whether or not Ratcliffe and his group would do a good job or if they would be granted control of United's footballing operations remains to be seen. However, fans will consider the Glazer family losing a portion of the ownership a good start to their dreams of seeing the Americans eventually disassociate themselves from the club entirely. 

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