Joel Glazer To Be Linchpin Of ManU Bid As Part Of PR Plan

Joel Glazer To Be Face Of Takeover Bid

The “figurehead of a takeover” of Manchester United by Bucs Owner Malcolm Glazer “would not be [Glazer] himself but his son Joel, who would relocate to Britain to oversee the purchase,” according to Sam Wallace of the London TELEGRAPH. Sources said that Joel Glazer has a “high regard for [ManU CEO] David Gill and his fellow executives on the board and would not seek to make immediate changes.” Wallace writes rather than try to persuade ManU fans that they “should back Malcolm, whose penchant for high-waisted trousers and ‘Leprechaun’ nickname have already made him something of a public relations liability, the Glazer family will champion Joel as their public link with the club” (TELEGRAPH, 10/7).

Glazer Would Expand Sir Ferguson’s Role w/ ManU

SIR ALEX: In London, Nils Pratley reports ManU Manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be “offered a beefed-up role” with the club by Malcolm Glazer as part of an attempt to “reverse fans’ hostile reaction to his takeover plans.” Glazer and his advisers, reportedly “shocked by the level of opposition” from Shareholders United (SU) and other groups, have identified Ferguson as the only team-related figure “with the power to calm emotions.” It is not known whether Ferguson will be offered a seat on the board, but Glazer hopes to persuade Ferguson to “back what is being described as a ‘new model’ of football club ownership.” Ferguson’s role is “likely to be a type of extended formal involvement for supporters [and] it will be presented as a way of generating funds for further investment in the team and the club’s infrastructure.” Meanwhile, a source said that ManU investors JP McManus and John Magnier “have made clear they have no interest in being co-investors with Glazer: if they agree to sell, they will want to be bought out completely for cash” (London GUARDIAN, 10/7).

FAN OPPOSITION: In London, Damian Reece reports Keith Harris, CEO of investment bank Seymour Pierce, is “considering a financial restructuring of the club as a possible rival proposal” to Glazer’s bid. Harris is holding “informal talks with other financiers and advisers,” and his idea is to “produce a long-term solution to the question of the club’s ownership which is acceptable to fans” and to McManus and Magnier’s Cubic Expression, which owns 28.9% of the team (London INDEPENDENT, 10/7). SU has received a US$1.3M commitment from one anonymous fan “eager to keep” ManU from being sold to Glazer. SU officials, while still “short of their aim” to block Glazer’s bid, are “hopeful the news will encourage other United fans to follow suit.” SU spokesperson Oliver Houston: “This is the most significant one-off share purchase we ever had” (MANCHESTERONLINE.co.uk, 10/7). Also, SU has written to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, “urging him to block” Glazer’s bid. SU Chair Nick Towle wrote FIFA “should take some strong actions to ensure that football clubs are properly run, that they encourage supporter ownership and therefore act more in the interests of supporters” (EVENING STANDARD, 10/7).