Will the Glazers sell?

[FuB]

Apple are interesting, apparently. I could see that. Could be a huge way of them getting into football streaming and digital content, given our brand reach and supporter base. I'd be up for that - and we'd get first dibs on any tech and data analysis that could boost performance.

What's clear is, there's going to be a LOT of seriously interested, big players. I think a full sale is more likely than I first thought.

Would you forget about Apple's pretty well-documented exploitation of workers in China, etc.?

[JoelfuckingGlazer]

Apple are interesting, apparently. I could see that. Could be a huge way of them getting into football streaming and digital content, given our brand reach and supporter base. I'd be up for that - and we'd get first dibs on any tech and data analysis that could boost performance.

What's clear is, there's going to be a LOT of seriously interested, big players. I think a full sale is more likely than I first thought.

Would you forget about Apple's pretty well-documented exploitation of workers in China, etc.?

I'll be honest, I'm not hugely informed or aware of that matter. But equally, lets be honest - whoever is going to buy us will be a multi, multi-billionaire. NONE of them will have a clean bill of ethical history. So it'll be a case of who's least worst.

[dozer]

Sounds like people here are indirectly telling themselves it's okay if the Arab nations (or their equivalents on the ethics scale) own United haha. Just be honest, guys.

[dozer]

I'd rather anyone else buy United over the Americans. Hopefully the Glazers buy Liverpool for the lolz.

[JoelfuckingGlazer]

Sounds like people here are indirectly telling themselves it's okay if the Arab nations (or their equivalents on the ethics scale) own United haha. Just be honest, guys.

Its a serious and challenging question. Do I want United to become a Sportwashing venture or a plaything for a huge multi-natiional tech firm? No I don't. But, we do have to accept that its where the games gone. And I don't see it changing. So we either join the party or accept we'll end up getting well and truly left behind. Forever. There's no easy answer and I know it makes me less than virtuous but I honestly think I just want to see United at the top of the pile again. Competing for every honour, world-class facilties for every one of our teams, a brilliant support experience, the best players, coaches, executives etc. If we do that, I honestly think I'd turn a blind eye to an awful lot. Now, if you compare the human element to someone like the Qatari elites to the Glazers, the human rights violations are obviously more offensive than anything the Glazers have done. And this might sound stupid, but there's something about the way that the Glazers have deliberately violated this club to line their own pockets that grinds my gears more than the idea of the non-footballing (but very serious) backgrounds of some potential owners. None of which is to diminish the attrocious things that truly matter in the world way beyond football.

[bman2]

Apple would be the best case scenario. Huge war chest, and they don't fuck about, they'd hire the right people to put the club back on top. Totally comfortable with it morally, they're at least as morally acceptable as any big multinational, there's just more attention on them. Like United, Apple gets far more coverage than their competitors because it's been proven time and again that a story about Apple or United gets far more clicks than an identical story about Samsung or Liverpool.

[bman2]

Actually I was just reading about the rumours yesterday that Apple might buy Disney. Disney is worth $300 billion, and Apple could pay cash for it! United would be a tiny acquisition in comparison.

[dozer]

The rumours are obviously all bollocks. Apple is a tech company and these guys don't buy sports teams. Or anything outside of tech.

[Fuck the Glazers]

If a state bought United it's not just ethically fucked for all the reasons mentioned, but to have that attached to United is bullshit. It'd make United horrible. And for fans that hold a lot of love and romance for their club, it would be brutal.

But also the inevitable success that came with state wealth would be the states success as well. Like City's success directly attached to the UAE state. Without their wealth, City wouldn't be successful, they couldn't pay their wage bill or even their heating bill let alone buy top players and build a 100m world class training facility if they just relied on the clubs own money. City's success is the UAEs really.

I want United's success to be all United's, not part-funded by a state who'd give us 2/3bn to buy players, pay wages and build facilities the club couldn't afford otherwise. I want it to be genuine, not come with asterisks.

[Fuck the Glazers]

Saudi government would back private bids for Manchester United or Liverpool

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... dApp_Other

This is interesting. A lot of the private sector businessmen have links to the Saudi state / bin Salman because he runs an absolute monarchy who not that long ago literally took over many of the countries top businesses for himself. It could be that the Saudi state funnels money through the so-called independent rich Saudi to buy United or Liverpool. But obviously all involved would deny all knowledge.

Similar to how many russian oligarchs had links to Putin (like Abramovic who managed Putin's personal finances, gave his steel for russian tanks etc) but denied it.

Soft power essentially.