The end of the drama is approaching.
Normally.
Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus pulled out of the race to take over Manchester United football club on Thursday, which he called a "
farce
", after the club's owners chose to launch a third round of 'bid.
“
I have given up participating in a third round of offers for United.
This process turns into a farce with (the family) Glazer who shows no respect for the club
, ”denounced the 69-year-old entrepreneur, who made his fortune in technology in Asia, on his Twitter account.
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Along with British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, owner of petrochemical group Ineos, and Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) chairman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Zilliacus was the third declared candidate for a club takeover. .
He had only joined the process in the second round of bidding, at the end of March, while the other two had submitted a first offer in mid-February.
More than two candidates in the rows
While the Glazers, who do not rule out remaining at the head of the Red Devils, were hoping for 6 billion pounds (6.8 billion EUR), the offers seem for the moment to reach only 5 billion GBP (5.7 billion EUR), which would still be a record sum for a sports club.
On Wednesday, the English media announced that the American owners of the club, still not satisfied, had invited the candidates to make a third proposal.
“
I am not going to participate in a prank whose aim is to maximize the profits of the sellers at the expense of Manchester United
”, explained Zilliacus again.
This new postponement of a final decision "
makes it very difficult for any new owner to build a competitive team for next season
", he concluded.
An argument taken up by the supporters of the Red Devils, who strongly hope, in a very large majority, the departure of the Glazer.
“
With a summer transfer window only a few weeks away, news of this new delay and continuing uncertainty is very worrying
,” wrote Manchester United supporters’ foundation MUST. a statement.
"
We also cannot move forward on major investment projects, especially on the renovation of the stadium, as long as we are in the dark
", adds the organization which calls for "
the process to be completed without no more waiting
”.
Currently 4th in the Premier League and virtual qualifier for the next Champions League, Manchester United have won the League Cup this season and are still in contention in the FA Cup semi-finals and Europa League quarter-finals. .