MANCHESTER, England: If British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is successful in his attempt to buy a minority stake in Manchester United, he could end up with a major say in the running of the underperforming club.
The owner of petrochemicals giant Ineos appears to be ready to invest in the storied English soccer club after rival Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar said over the weekend he was withdrawing from the bidding process.
Ratcliffe is trying to buy a 25 percent share of United and also wants to run soccer operations, a person with knowledge of the proposal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
United’s American owners, the Glazer family, in November announced plans to seek outside investment that could have resulted in the sale of the 20-time English league champions.
Ratcliffe initially bid for the family’s controlling stake of about 69 percent, while Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim wanted 100 percent of the club.
With the process dragging on beyond an expected completion date of June, Ratcliffe has adjusted his offer and that could pave the way to him becoming a co-owner of the club he has supported since he was a child.
THE PROPOSAL
Ratcliffe’s bid would mean the Glazers, who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, remain in control of United. But if he is given responsibility of running the sporting side of the business, it would give him a real opportunity to improve the team’s performance on the field.
United has not won a league title since former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
United won the Champions League title in 2008, five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, five League Cups and the Europa League under the Glazers, but the vast majority of those trophies were won by Ferguson. United has won four trophies in 10 years since his retirement.
Ratcliffe reportedly still eventually wants to take complete control of the club over a staggered process, but that has not been confirmed.
Ratcliffe is one of Britain’s richest people and is said to be worth $15.1 billion. He previously tried to buy Chelsea and already owns French club Nice and cycling’s Team INEOS. He is one-third shareholder of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team and competes in the America’s Cup with sailing team INEOS Britannia.
THE RECRUITMENT
Despite spending about $2 billion on transfers in the past decade, United has been toppled as English soccer’s most dominant force. While rival Manchester City has been backed by the vast wealth of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, United has still been able to compete for the world’s leading players and has broken records to sign the likes of Paul Pogba and Harry Maguire.
But that hasn’t brought success, with many of United’s signings failing to live up to the expectations of leading the team back to the top.
There have been changes in recent years. Former executive vice chairman Ed Woodward has gone. The role of football director was introduced, with John Murtough appointed to that position, and Matt Hargreaves was recently hired to lead player negotiations.
The club believes its soccer operations department has been strengthened, pointing to the recent signings of Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund as evidence of an improving recruitment policy.
Hojlund is considered among the best emerging strikers in Europe and was signed from Atalanta for 64 million pounds ($82 million).
Critics, however, would point to Hojlund joining Atalanta just a year earlier for a reported 20 million euros ($21.2 million) and Onana moving from Ajax to Inter Milan on a free transfer in 2022. United paid 51 million euros ($57 million) for the goalkeeper this year.
THE MANAGER
United manager Erik ten Hag has been backed by Murtough and United since he was hired last year.
The Dutchman has been allowed to bring in expensive signings like Brazil internationals Antony and Casemiro, as well as Hojlund, as he tries to overhaul the squad.
He enjoyed an impressive first season when winning the club’s first trophy in six years — the League Cup — and leading United back to the Champions League.
Ten Hag has also been backed over his disciplining of star players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho, while Maguire has been stripped of the captaincy and made a peripheral figure in the team after falling out of favor.
While fans have jeered as United has endured a difficult start to this season, losing six of its first 11 games, Ten Hag remains popular.
His record at Ajax when winning three league titles and two cups shows he can deliver success.
He is the club’s fifth permanent manager since Ferguson retired.
A policy of hiring and firing clearly hasn’t worked, but would Ratcliffe want to make his own appointment if in charge?
THE STADIUM
Old Trafford may be iconic, but it is in need of redevelopment. It remains the biggest club stadium in the country, but looks dated compared to Tottenham’s new ground, which regularly hosts NFL games.
Ratcliffe is reportedly offering about 1.3 billion pounds ($1.58 billion) for a minority stake, but it is not known how that money will be spent. Ratcliffe also reportedly wants to expand Old Trafford from 74,000 seats to 90,000.
It is not likely that stadium redevelopments would come under soccer operations, but it would be a meaningful change that would generate extra funds and also appeal to supporters.
Last year, United appointed stadium developers Populous to look at options for Old Trafford. While another possibility would be to rebuild the stadium, that would pose problems in terms of relocating the team during the building process and lost revenue as a result.
THE FANS
Manchester United’s supporters have long-campaigned to drive out the unpopular owners since the late Malcom Glazer bought the club for 790 million pounds (then about $1.4 billion) in 2005. Fans have been critical of the leveraged nature of the Glazers’ buyout that loaded debt onto the club, as well as a perceived lack of investment and the dividends taken out by the owners.
Many have called for the Glazers to be completely removed. The Manchester United Supporters Trust told the AP that propping the family up permanently would be a “nightmare scenario.”
Fans have continued to protest against the family and chants of “Glazers out” are regularly heard at games.
Ratcliffe, who was born in the Manchester area, has risked angering supporters by offering to buy a minority stake. But if he is successful in gaining control of soccer operations and oversees a period of success, he could help to placate them and ease tension around the club.
However, if United’s decline continues, he would be in danger of being a visible figure of blame.
Jim Ratcliffe could have a major say in Manchester United if he buys a minority stake in the club
https://arab.news/zhkrw
Jim Ratcliffe could have a major say in Manchester United if he buys a minority stake in the club
- The owner of petrochemicals giant Ineos appears to be ready to invest in the storied English soccer club
- Ratcliffe is trying to buy a 25 percent share of United and also wants to run soccer operations
Dembele sinks Arsenal as PSG seize edge in Champions League semifinal
- Arsenal’s first defeat in 18 home European matches was a painful blow to their own bid to win a first Champions League crown
LONDON: Paris Saint-Germain seized the advantage in their Champions League semifinal against Arsenal as Ousmane Dembele sealed a 1-0 win in the first leg on Tuesday.
Dembele struck in the opening minutes at the Emirates Stadium and Luis Enrique’s side held on to the lead with a composed display that kept Arsenal at bay.
PSG will head into the second leg at the Parc des Princes on May 7 as favorites to reach the final against Barcelona or Inter Milan as they look to win the tournament for the first time.
But the French champions should take nothing for granted given their history of epic European collapses.
Arsenal’s first defeat in 18 home European matches was a painful blow to their own bid to win a first Champions League crown.
Mikel Arteta had labelled Arsenal’s run to the semifinals a “beautiful story.”
The last chapter might make for frustrating reading, but they aren’t dead and buried just yet.
The Gunners had beaten holders Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate to reach their first Champions League semifinal since losing to Manchester United in 2009.
They could not replicate the swaggering display that blew Madrid away 3-0 in the first leg, despite a frenzied atmosphere as kick-off approached.
When Arsenal’s players gathered for a pre-match huddle in the tunnel, Declan Rice implored his team-mates to give everything as he roared “if we don’t have the ball we die.”
A video message from Arteta played on the Emirates screens struck a similarly rousing chord as the Spaniard urged fans to raise the roof.
But PSG had already eliminated Premier League champions Liverpool in the last 16 and Aston Villa in the quarter-finals, after coming back from two goals down to beat Manchester City in the league phase.
Arsenal were the one English side they had failed to conquer, losing 2-0 in north London in October.
However, PSG were without the influential Dembele for disciplinary reasons on that occasion and Luis Enrique insisted his side were “more complete” seven months on.
Dembele took just four minutes to prove the point as the France star started and finished a ruthless raid.
Taking possession in the center circle, Dembele worked the ball out to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and he drove at Jurrien Timber with intent.
Dembele had carried on his run into the Arsenal area and Kvaratskhelia’s perfectly weighted pass picked him out for a clinical finish that went in off the far post.
Having seized the momentum, PSG went for the kill and Marquinhos rose to meet Achraf Hakimi’s cross with a header that was just too close to Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
Kvaratskhelia had a strong penalty appeal waved away when Timber appeared to halt the forward’s burst into area with an arm around his chest.
Kvaratskhelia was undeterred, forcing Raya to save after attacking Timber again.
Dembele was proving equally hard for Arsenal to handle, his clever run and pass reaching Desire Doue for a low strike that Raya saved at full stretch.
Arsenal had been out-gunned but they should have equalized just before half-time when Myles Lewis-Skelly’s sublime pass found Gabriel Martinelli, whose shot was superbly saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Arsenal thought they had drawn level two minutes into the second half when Mikel Merino headed home from Rice’s free-kick, yet their celebrations were premature as VAR disallowed the goal for offside against the Spain midfielder.
Arteta’s men had the momentum and Leandro Trossard was inches away from equalising when Rice’s pass sent him bursting into the PSG area for a shot that Donnarumma brilliantly tipped away.
Feeling the shift in the balance of power, PSG looked to take the sting out of the game by playing at a slower pace.
The tactic almost worked to perfection when Bradley Barcola sauntered through, but with just Raya to beat he dragged his shot wide of the far post.
It was a woeful miss, leaving Luis Enrique holding his head in disbelief.
The PSG coach was in the exact same stunned pose moments later when Goncalo Ramos fired against the bar from close-range.
Impressive Al-Ahli down Al-Hilal to move into Champions League Asian final
- Firmino, Toney, Al-Buraikan score in Greens’ 3-1 win
- Jeddah club will face Al-Nassr or Kawasaki Frontale in Saturday’s final
JEDDAH: Al-Ahli beat Al-Hilal 3-1 on Tuesday to move into the final of the AFC Champions League Elite.
After an incident-filled semifinal showdown, the Jeddah club will face either Al-Nassr, another Riyadh giant, or Kawasaki Frontale of Japan in Saturday’s final, where one thing is for sure — there will be a new continental champion.
It was a deserved win for Al-Ahli who were on top for most of the 90-plus minutes in Jeddah. Now they prepare for their third Champions League final and in this form few would bet against them landing a first title.
Beating four-time winners Al-Hilal means that there is nothing to fear for Al-Ahli and it took just nine minutes for the fans to start celebrating. Galeno broke down the left, racing on to a fine pass and just about reached the ball before it went out of play. The Brazilian, signed in January from Porto, sent over a first-time cross for compatriot Roberto Firmino to sweep home from close range.
There were calls for offside but to the dismay of the Riyadh giants they were not upheld. There were more chances, such as Ivan Toney’s shot that went just wide after 18 minutes, as Al-Ahli continued to look the more dangerous.
Then, just before the half-hour, it was 2-0. Riyad Mahrez picked up the ball in a central position and slipped a perfect pass to the left side of the area. It was picked up by Toney who feinted past Yassine Bounou in goal and rolled the ball into an empty net.
For a while, that seemed to be that. The Greens were on top and heading into the final but Al-Hilal are not the most successful team in Saudi Arabia and Asia for nothing. This is a team, especially in continental competitions, that never knows when it is beaten.
Three minutes before the break, Salem Al-Dawsari, one of the best players in Asia, halved the deficit. For anyone who has watched Saudi Arabian football in recent years, it was a familiar goal. The ball bounced off a white-shirted defender and there was the 2022 Asian Player of the Year to pick up possession and sweep a low shot home for his 10th of the tournament. Al-Hilal were looking dangerous and just minutes before the break Malcom should have fired home at the far post to equalize from close range.
At halftime, it was anyone’s game but early in the second period, Toney saw two goals ruled out for offside.
Then, on the hour, a tough situation for Al-Hilal became a major problem. They were reduced to 10 men as Kalidou Koulibaly was red-carded for a second booking. Despite the Blues’ continental pedigree it was always going to be tough and while they poured forward in desperate search of the all-important equalizer, it was not to be. Al-Ahli continued to look the more dangerous and were denied by the woodwork on more than one occasion.
With five minutes remaining it should have been all over. Hamid Al-Yami was judged to have brought down Mahrez in the area. Up stepped Franck Kessie to seal the win but it was a tame shot from the Ivorian and was well saved by Bounou.
For once, Al-Hilal did not punish such a mistake. Eight minutes into added time, the victory — one of the most important in Al-Ahli’s history — was sealed thanks to substitute Firas Al-Buraikan.
It led to huge celebrations for many of the 50,000 crowd and the biggest prize in the world’s biggest continent is now just 90 minutes away.
Napoli’s Buongiorno out with adductor injury
- Napoli reclaimed the sole lead in the Serie A standings on Sunday
- The 25-year-old has already begun his rehabilitation process
NAPLES: Napoli defender Alessandro Buongiorno is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering an adductor injury in his right thigh, the Serie A leaders said on Tuesday.
Napoli reclaimed the sole lead in the Serie A standings on Sunday with a 2-0 home win against Torino but the 2023 champions lost Italy center back Buongiorno and midfielder Frank Anguissa to injuries around the hour mark.
“Alessandro Buongiorno underwent instrumental tests today at the Pineta Grande Hospital, which revealed a destructive lesion of the long adductor muscle of the right thigh,” Napoli said in a statement.
The club added that the 25-year-old has already begun his rehabilitation process.
Italian media reported that the injury puts an end to Buongiorno’s season and manager Antonio Conte will not have him available for the last four games in the title race.
Napoli travel to relegation-threatened Lecce on Saturday before facing Genoa, Parma and Cagliari in their final matches. Conte’s side top the league standings on 74 points, three ahead of second-placed Inter Milan.
Boca Juniors fire coach Fernando Gago after loss to rival River Plate
- “We found that there is no way for him to be our coach,” Serna said
- It was the first time in club history that Boca were eliminated by a Peruvian team
BUENOS AIRES: Argentine club Boca Juniors fired coach Fernando Gago on Tuesday after losing to crosstown rival River Plate over the weekend.
Mauricio Serna, a member of Boca Juniors’ Football Council, announced Gago’s departure following the 2-1 defeat in the Argentine clasico played on Sunday.
“We’re here to make decisions, and late last night, we found that there is no way for him to be our coach,” Serna said. “We’re very grateful because he’s put in all his effort, but there are situations that have led us to make a final decision.”
The loss to River Plate was another blow to a team were eliminated in the early stages of Copa Libertadores, losing to Alianza Lima. It was the first time in club history that Boca were eliminated by a Peruvian team in the competition.
Gago, a former Real Madrid player, took over as coach of Boca Juniors last October after stepping down from his role at Mexico’s Chivas in the middle of the season to replace Diego Martínez. He coached 30 games, won 17 with five draws and eight losses.
Salah poses for celebration selfie with Liverpool fans in Premier League title-winning victory
- Arne Slot’s men stormed back after conceding a surprise early goal
- Top-scorer Salah scored the goal the crowd craved, celebrated by grabbing a fan’s phone before taking a selfie in front of the Kop
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool demolished Tottenham 5-1 to clinch the Premier League title at an impassioned Anfield on Sunday, sealing a record-equalling 20th English top-flight crown.
Arne Slot’s men stormed back after conceding a surprise early goal to dominate the first half as the decibel level soared among 60,000-plus crowd.
Liverpool, who can no longer be caught by second-placed Arsenal, are now level with bitter rivals Manchester United as the joint-most successful club in English top-flight history.
Slot’s men started on the front foot at an expectant Anfield after a stirring rendition of club anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in the warm spring sunshine.
Mohamed Salah had an early sighter and Cody Gakpo went close with a spectacular overhead kick but Tottenham briefly threatened to become party poopers when Dominic Solanke powered home a header from a James Maddison corner in the 12th minute.
But Liverpool were level just four minutes later when Luis Diaz converted Dominik Szoboszlai’s cross from close range. The offside flag went up but VAR awarded the goal.
The momentum was now all with Liverpool and the home side took the lead in the 24th minute when Alexis Mac Allister thundered the ball home from the 18-yard line past the flying Guglielmo Vicario.
Now the party was well and truly started and Gakpo made it 3-1, slamming a shot into the bottom corner after Spurs failed to clear.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou had made eight changes from the team that lost to Nottingham Forest last week as he prioritizes the semifinals of the Europa League and they now had a mountain to climb.
The Liverpool fans — deprived of celebrating the 2020 Premier League trophy due to COVID-19 restrictions, ran through their full repertoire of songs as their team pushed for a fourth goal in the second half.
Top-scorer Salah scored the goal the crowd craved, collecting Szoboszlai’s pass before cutting in and blasting his shot into the bottom corner.
He celebrated by grabbing a fan’s phone before taking a selfie in front of the Kop.
Deafening cheers of “We’re going to win the league” and “We shall not be moved” rang out.
Liverpool had a fifth when Spurs defender Destiny Udogie poked the ball past his own goalkeeper from close range with about 20 minutes to go as the game turned into a procession.
As the game went into added time the club’s anthem rang out again as scarves were held aloft and the final whistle elicited a thunderous roar.
The win leaves Liverpool on 82 points, 15 clear of nearest challengers Arsenal with just four games remaining.
Tottenham are a miserable 16th in the Premier League table after their 19th defeat of the season, putting Postecoglou under enormous pressure.
Tens of thousands of fans swarmed around Anfield in the build-up to kick-off in anticipation of Liverpool’s coronation, setting off flares as the home team bus arrived.
Flags and scarves saying “Liverpool 20-time Champions” were on sale from stalls outside the ground.
At the start of the campaign, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were favorites to extend their dynastic Premier League reign and make it five titles in a row but their form collapsed.
Arsenal emerged as their closest challengers but they drew too many games, failing to take advantage of the rare Liverpool slip-ups.
It was feared Liverpool’s players would need time to adapt to the methods of Slot, who replaced Jurgen Klopp last June following the German’s departure after nine trophy-filled years at Anfield.
But the former Feyenoord boss has sailed serenely through the season despite relentless speculation over the futures of three of his biggest stars — Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Both Salah and Van Dijk have now signed two-year extensions, though England defender Alexander-Arnold is believed likely to be on the verge of a move to Real Madrid.
