:) Ruining United take-overs since 2009.
Ties between Raine Group and Manchester City ownership could affect Qatari bid
Manchester United's takeover saga may have a touch of outside influence
written by
David O'Neill05/29/2023
The Manchester United takeover saga will enter its eighth month in June, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim Al Thani still locking horns in their bids to take control of the club from the Glazer family.
On Sunday, it was relayed by
Sky News that INEOS founder Sir Jim remains in pole position to gain ownership of Man United, with his latest bid valuing the club at somewhere between £5bn and £5.5bn.
But earlier this month, it was
reported that Sheikh Jassim had launched an 11th hour bid valuing the club at around £5.67bn, prompting the question: why do the Glazers’ advisors the, Raine Group, still hold a preference for the INEOS bid?
One answer is the possibility of the Glazer siblings retaining some of their shares on a ‘put and call’ basis, allowing them to cash in part of their investment in three years time should Sir Jim choose. That would allow them to benefit from further growth in the club later down the line.
The thought of the Glazers staying on in any capacity would be a bitter pill to swallow for United fans, who have suffered under the Tampa Bay family’s tenure for eighteen long years. But there is a slightly more sinister possibility.
The Raine Group, founded by Joseph Ravitch in 2009, received substantial investment by way of the purchase of a 9% stake, from the
Mubadala Development Company within a year of opening its doors.
Mubadala is an investment company of the Abu Dhabi state, wholly owned by the government. Upon its
board of directors sits Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, founder of the City Football Group, which owns 81% of Manchester City. His co-founder, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, is both the chairman of Man City and the Managing Director of Mubadala.
