The news is that Manchester United are close to being taken over by Qatar Holdings in a massive deal worth £1.5 billion. Qatar Holdings’ chairman, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, who is currently Qatar’s prime minister, is said to be keen on the idea of taking over one of the biggest clubs in he world in Manchester United after Qatar's controversial 2022 World Cup bid win.
This is obviously good news for Manchester United fans who have done their utmost to get rid of the current American owners, the Glazer family. The Green and Gold campaign and the constant protests against the Americans due to the amount of debt that they have put the club in have had little effect. But now that a super rich company are waving £1.5 billion in front of the faces of the much hated owners, this spell of hostility may be about end.
However, there is one thing that the Glazer's have given Manchester United which Sir Alex Ferguson will be thanking them for. That is the freedom to run the team as he wants. Throughout the Americans ownership, they have stayed out of the way of Ferguson - letting him manage the team with freedom that other managers of clubs could only dream of. Ferguson's position at the club was always going to be safe, but at clubs like Chelsea, when managers are being sacked every other season, the stability that they have allowed at the club on the pitch has probably been the only good thing that can be squeezed out of their ownership period.
The impression Ferguson gives is that if he wants to buy a player, he can. He will be provided with the money which David Gill claims the club have to spend on players. The difference if the new owners arrive is that money will be guaranteed and the club will no longer be burdened with debt. Some pretty good plus points there, it has to be said.
If the prospective new owners are to come in, to be popular with fans, they must listen to them, and work with them to improve the club situation. The money will obviously be there for Ferguson and any other future managers to spend, so recruiting new players won't be a problem, but they must keep an interest in the football as well, and not be swayed into making knee-jerk decisions as was made by the new Blackburn owners. Manchester United must stay as the proud, successful club that it has been in football, and guaranteed stability is key to that.
