The Qatari outlet that were credited for breaking the news that Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani had won the bidding process for Manchester United’s takeover appears to have backtracked on their original claims. United’s takeover saga has been ongoing ever since the first official bids were made back in February.
Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe quickly emerged as the two frontrunners with vastly different bids. The Glazers were said to be keen on Ratcliffe’s offer for 60 per cent ownership as it gave them an opportunity to remain at the club in some capacity.
The Qatari bid meanwhile was for a full 100 per cent takeover, which reportedly came to a lesser overall value than that of Ratcliffe. That put the British billionaire in the ascendency as early as last week ahead of the final deadline.
But United fans were sent in a spin on Monday evening when reports from Qatar began circulating that Sheikh Jassim had been successful in his bid for United.
Qatari outlet Al Watan claimed an announcement was going to be made ‘soon’, indicating Sheikh Jassim would come in as the club’s new owner. Al Watan editorial director Fahed Al Emadi even appeared to confirm his publication’s report, adding: “The announcement of the deal will be very soon.”
But El Emadi appears to have backtracked on his original claims, insisting they were merely repeating what had been reported elsewhere and it wasn’t exclusive information. He tweeted: “Contrary to certain media and social media reports overnight, Al Watan is not owned by Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, and Al Watan’s media report yesterday speculating about possible movement in the Manchester United takeover process was based on international media reports, as stated in the article itself, and with such news widely circulating periodically in international media for many months.”
His remarks come as the Press Association claim Sheikh Jassim is still yet to hear anything from United on whether his bid has been successful or not. That also raises questions on whether the Qatari bid is no longer on the table as he had originally given the Glazers until Friday last week to respond.
Sheikh Jassim’s latest bid was his fifth and reports indicated it was a ‘take it or leave it’ offer. He’s said to have been frustrated by the long process, with the Glazers still pushing for closer to £6billion.
It also opens the door back up for Ratcliffe to takeover from the Glazers with the British billionaire said to be confident about his chances.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
