Wording of Man Utd statement about Ratcliffe takeover sums up the Glazers
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 25 percent takeover of Manchester United has finally been announced.
On Christmas Eve, and before 2024 is up, more than a year on from when the Glazers announced they were exploring a sale, United fans have a conclusion. It is a disgrace it has taken this long.
Multiple bidders, multiple bidding processes and yet the Glazers still own the majority of the club. Sheikh Jassim's Qatari-backed bid was Ratcliffe's main competitor - but his promise of billions was not enough to compete with the Brit's shrewd offer.
Ratcliffe recognised the only way to end this process was to offer something the Glazers couldn't refuse - a lot of money while still keeping the majority of the ownership. However, they have given up one thing. They've given up full control of football operations.
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This means Ratcliffe and his team will now assume all duties. This will cover everything from final say on manager decisions and transfers to appointing the staff behind the scenes. But what is unique about Ratcliffe taking this on is how it was worded in United's statement.
It is no surprise for Ratcliffe, a United fan, to want to take as much control of the football side as possible after years of underperformance. But what is a surprise is that, according to the statement, he was not the one to request it.
An excerpt from the statement reads: "As part of the transaction, INEOS has accepted a request by the board to be delegated responsibility for the management of the club’s football operations."
The Glazers have given up handling all football operations at Manchester United (AFP via Getty Images)The Glazers requested Ratcliffe's company to take the football side. In other words, they couldn't wait to be shot of it. You'd think Ratcliffe taking control of the football side would be a formality but it seems the Glazers were desperate for him to do so.
With how much work is needed, this makes sense. Old Trafford is rotting, the transfer strategy has lacked sense for a long time and the training ground is so old Cristiano Ronaldo could barely believe what he had walked into upon his return.
This has, of course, all happened under the Glazers' watch, and they have no intent on fixing it. And so, at the first chance they get, they pass the problems they created on.
Ratcliffe has a mountain of work to do but he is not shirking responsibility and insisted to fans he's in it for the long run. Upon his takeover, he said: "As a local boy and a lifelong supporter of the Club, I am very pleased that we have been able to agree a deal with the Manchester United Board that delegates us management responsibility of the football operations of the Club.
"Whilst the commercial success of the Club has ensured there have always been available funds to win trophies at the highest level, this potential has not been fully unlocked in recent times.
"We will bring the global knowledge, expertise and talent from the wider INEOS Sport group to help drive further improvement at the Club, while also providing funds intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford. We are here for the long term and recognise that a lot of challenges and hard work lie ahead, which we will approach with rigour."
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