Thomas Zilliacus is burying his plan to buy the British football club Manchester United.
12.4. 23:06•Updated 12.4. 23:40
Finnish businessman Thomas Zilliacus says that he is abandoning his plans to become the owner of the British football club Manchester United. Zilliacus does not approve of the way the Glazer family, which currently owns the club, is dragging out the deal.
– I have decided to withdraw from the third round of offers from United. The bidding has turned into a farce and the Glazers have no respect for the club at all. The delays make it difficult for the new owner to build a winning team for next season, Zilliacus says in his Twitter update.
In addition to Zilliacus, an English billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and a Qatari banker Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani have made an offer to buy United.
– Jim Ratcliffe, Sheikh Jassim and I were all ready to negotiate the purchase of United. Instead, the Glazers opted for another round of bidding. I am not going to participate in such a farce, the aim of which is to maximize profits for the sellers at the expense of Manchester United, says Zilliacus.
In March, Zilliacus announced that he had made a purchase offer for Manchester United through his investment company. At that time, he said that his primary goal was that the supporters get involved in the club’s decision-making.
The 69-year-old Zilliacus has said that he disapproves of the development in which billionaire sheiks and oligarchs take over clubs and control them as their personal playgrounds.