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Finnish businessman and Singapore Permanent Resident Thomas Zilliacus is the the dark horse bidder for a takeover of giant English football club Manchester United.

The news was first reported in the British media on March 23, 2023. Zilliacus initially submitted a bid that could see fans have a say in the running of the club, the Manchester Evening News reported.

Mobile pioneer

Zilliacus, who has been based in Singapore since 1986, is a Finnish entrepreneur.

According to a 2014 Techinasia interview, the Finn arrived in Singapore in 1986 as the Finnish communications company Nokia's first Asia-Pacific head.

The company then had no Asia presence and Zilliacus said that at the time he was the youngest, single, and therefore the best option available, and ended up being the one sent to Singapore to open up Asian markets for the company.

Zilliacus has remained based in Singapore ever since, eventually leaving Nokia after seven years as its Asia-Pacific head to found investment company Mobile FutureWorks.

He has placed on its advisory board experienced communications industry veterans such as Finland's former Communications Minister Pekka Tarjanne, and former Chairman of Singapore Telecom Group Koh Boon Hwee.

He also gained prominence as the head of YuuZoo, resigning as chairman in 2018, according to EdgeProp.

He managed Geylang International?!

Zilliacus has also been a Singapore Permanent Resident since 2003, according to EdgeProp, and intends to remain so "for the foreseeable future."

He also raised his family in Singapore, telling EdgeProp in 2021 when he was attempting to sell his Sentosa Cove penthouse that his two daughters were born and educated in Singapore.

But as they have become adults, graduated and moved overseas, the property was too large and he was looking to find a smaller apartment.

Zilliacus is also an avid sportsman and football fan. The Techinasia interview revealed that he had played in Finland and Brazil, as well as once being the chairman of HJK Helsinki, Finland's most successful club.

He was also manager of Geylang International (yes, that Geylang International) in the early 1990s, meaning that he's been involved in football at almost every single level.

Uniting Manchester

Zilliacus is now taking it to the next level with his bid to buy English megaclub Manchester United.

In an interview with Swedish sports magazine Expressen, he said that he has been a fan of United since 1965, and that he found out that the club was up for sale at the last minute.

While he had been thinking about investing in a top European side for a while, considering teams such as Italian giants AC Milan, he realised that he had to act quickly with United on the market.

He proposed a novel structure for the takeover, saying that he hoped to get fans involved in the ownership and running of the club.

He would do this by eventually allowing fans to buy into the club, and let them vote on issues via an app.

But while it was initially reported that he intended to raise the money for the takeover via fans, he clarified that this was not the case. According to the Daily Express, Zilliacus intends to collaborate with other investors to buy the club, and then offer shares for sale to the fans.

Other bids

Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani made headlines when he submitted a bid for Manchester United, somewhere in the region of £4.5 billion (S$7.4 billion).

Jassim's bid is followed closely by Manchester local boy and avowed lifelong fan, the Briton Sir James Ratcliffe, owner of chemicals firm Ineos.

Speaking to The Mirror, Zilliacus said he has reached out to both Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe to join forces and takeover Manchester United together.

The club could also still remain in the hands of the Glazer family, despite the bids.

Cautious optimism

Media outlets such as the BBC and fan channels in Britain have viewed Zilliacus's bid with cautious optimism, acknowledging that the image of deep fan involvement would be ideal for a fanbase that feels disenfranchised by the current ownership.

But there is a certain amount of scepticism about whether his proposal is feasible.

If he fails, there are still plenty of clubs available to invest in, maybe even in Singaporean football.

Mothership has reached out to Zilliacus for comment.

Top image via Thomas Zilliacus/Facebook & Mothership