In news that rocked the footballing world, David Ornstein and Matt Slater of The Athletic reported that PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi has played a “significant role” in Sheikh Jassim’s bid to buy Manchester United.
The news comes as Sheikh Jassim’s side submitted a final offer to buy United after trailing Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the process. There are pros and cons to both, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim owning Manchester United. However, the recent development changes things.
With the PSG president, closely linked to the state of Qatar itself, being involved in the process, it poses fresh questions about who the power breaker in Sheikh Jassim’s bid is.
Here are the potential ramifications of this development:
True nature of the bid exposed
Throughout the Manchester United takeover process, Sheikh Jassim’s camp repeatedly stressed that the bid is in no way linked to the state of Qatar. Sheikh Jassim was to be a private owner of the club through his Nine Two foundation.
However, Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s role in the process exposes the true nature of the bid. Although as per the report by The Athletic, Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s camp has made it clear that his role is purely advisory, the balance of power in world football at the moment is such that the claim becomes difficult to believe.
Other Premier League clubs are already wary of the source of funds and believe that Sheikh Jassim might just be the face of the bid, and the real power would lie in the hands of Qatar, and by association, Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
This would then have the potential to drag out an already tedious takeover process. Starting in October, the process still throws up new developments every day. Premier League clubs are sure to oppose any takeover which might have a conflict of interest in European football (Qatar’s ownership of PSG), and the rules anyhow state that no country can back a bid for a Premier League club. Newcastle had to prove the same when Saudi Arabia’s PIF was purchasing the club.
In conclusion, fans might need to get ready for a fresh round of twists and turns to a neverending process. Erik ten Hag and his side remain in doubt about their plans due to the ownership situation which just got more convoluted.
Closeness with Glazers
It is no secret that Glazers’ scent on anything United-related will instantly sour it in the minds of the fans, and rightly so. From that lens, this recent development is certainly worrisome.
The report states that Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been contacted by the Glazers to persuade Sheikh Jassim to increase his bid. The Glazers have been purely self-serving during the takeover process, repeatedly putting the club under the bus for their monetary gain. This is another attempt in that vein.
Looping in Al-Khelaifi doesn’t just open a can of worms regarding the nature of ownership. The way PSG president was looped in by the Glazers should also ring alarm bells for the fans.
PSG’s circus landing at Old Trafford?
If Manchester City are an example of sportswashing done right, PSG are at the opposite end of that spectrum. The club is a superstar circus where a conveyor belt of the biggest names land there, take a pay-check, and move away after getting disgruntled.
Despite the vast amount spent on playing talent, the culture at the club- of underperformance and indulging superstars’ vanity- continues to hold them back.
If Nasser Al-Khelaifi has been looped in as an advisor for the process itself, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that PSG and Manchester United would be forever linked to each other in hush-hush tones should the Qatari bid win.
The last thing United need right now is for a circus, like PSG. to land at Old Trafford. The Red Devils have just seemingly started to get over that same malaise under the leadership of Erik ten Hag.
Qatar and Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s close affiliations with the bid should be a warning sign for United. Brighter is not always better, and PSG are a shining example of this.
Sheikh Jassim’s lack of involvement a “Glazer Deja Vu”
Of course, it is completely normal for the head of the table to not be involved in minute details when it comes to a deal totalling billions of dollars. Still, Sheikh Jassim’s startling lack of involvement, and now Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s inclusion, is not an optimistic sign for the future.
The Glazers’ lack of answerability to the fans and involvement has been a constant pain point for United fans. Therefore, it is not good optics for Sheikh Jassim’s bid when the person whose advisory role’s news just broke is already at the front and centre of the whole narrative, while Sheikh Jassim’s one picture is all that the people have.
No statement, no appearance, and no direct involvement, now combined with the presence of arguably football’s most powerful individual in Nasser Al-Khelaifi. Deals like these often play out in the media and are an exercise in PR and optics. For Qatar, they just got a lot worse.
What are you talking about. Man united is going nowhere with the so called united fan. Like it or not you’re not catching man city with your SJR. Everyday we hear this rubbish about climate change but ineos deals in petrochemicals. That is not sportswashing? Besides it a journalist in england that is saying this so no problem I understand
Not heard anyone object to the state ownership because of the oil tbh. Objections tend to be around state ownership and/or poor human rights. So ineos being a petrochemical firm doesn’t especially relate.
United can already spend as much in the transfer market as city, the key is running the club well, something Qatar has a record of doing badly
The term sportswashing has its roots in racism and is a colonial mindset.
When Americans buy football clubs it’s because they’re smart and good investors. When Muslims do so it’s because they’re so embarrassed about their beliefs that they buy a football club to hide their apparent human rights abuses.
Forget the fact that these countries-every single one of them are very tight with the clever westerners’ governments whose people seem to put no real pressure on them to stop these apparent human rights abuses. Easier just to throw out the term sports wash and leave it there I guess. Job done and can now feel good about ourselves.
It’s always good to remember That the worlds most famous political prisoner is rotting away in Britain at the behest of its master. But again – human rights abusers only come from far away lands.
With the Glazers it’s greed pure and simple trying to wring the last Sheckle out of the buyers by pitting one against the other as seen by them approaching the other bidder’s advisor to get them to raise thier bid a proper ‘The Sheikh and the Shylocks’ pantomime scenario