Manchester United’s long-winded takeover over process seemed to be drawing to a close yesterday after Reuters reported that Qatari bid had been granted exclusivity to finalise a deal.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani looked to have been victorious with his US$6bn takeover offer, much to the adulation of the Old Trafford faithful, despite some of the Human Rights concerns that form a cloud over the Gulf State
Reputable sports journalists, such as Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic, have been vocal in reporting some of the issues surrounding a potential Qatari leadership.
????????????????????Journalist like Samuel Luckhurst (MEN) Laurie Whitwell and Adam Crafton (The Athletic) Miguel Delaney (The independent) wrote countless articles depicting Qatar and Sheikh Jassim as the devil. Why would you believe them and not the real Qatari ???????? journalist ? UtdxQatar????????=???? pic.twitter.com/84f52INVTW
— Pa_MUFC (@PaSheikhnaS) June 13, 2023
However, the staunch defence of Qatar from Manchester United fans in the face of the claims is a clear sign that ‘Sportswashing’ is working.
Anyway, aside from the moral issues surrounding the process, both the Qataris and Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe would have been left exhausted with the process, which has been going on for some eight months now.
As mentioned, while yesterday's announcement seemed to be drawing the curtain on the saga, Ben Jacobs of CBSSports states that neither side has been informed they have won, while those close to the process also deny that any exclusivity has, or would be, given.
It looks like fans will have to wait a little longer, although no doubt they would be equally frustrated by how drawn out this has been.
For context, Chelsea’s sale last year after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government for his links to his native Russia following its invasion of Ukraine took around three months.
This takeover drama still has some more twists and turns.