April 13, 2023, 04:29 PM
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Singapore permanent resident and Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus has withdrawn his bid for English footballing giant Manchester United.
Farce
Zilliacus announced in a tweet that he was withdrawing his bid, calling the bidding process a farce.
On Apr. 11 (UK time), Zilliacus tweeted that media outlets in the United Kingdom had caught wind that the current owners of Manchester United, the Glazer family, were going to invite a third round of bids for the football club.
Media claims that Glazers are preparing to invite a third round of bids. For the sake of United let's hope it is not true. There are 3 serious bidders. Negotiate with them face to face until a deal is reached. This has been going on too long already.
— Thomas Zilliacus (@TZilliacus) April 11, 2023
He said he hoped it was not true and that the three bidders involved were sufficient for negotiations to be carried out and a deal for the sale to be reached.
But when the rumours turned out to be true, Zilliacus followed up with a pair of tweets saying that he would be withdrawing his bid, calling the entire process a farce designed to enrich the Glazer ownership.
I have declined participation in a third bidding round for United. The bidding is turning into a farce, with Glazers giving no respect to the club. The delays will make it very difficult for any new owner to build a winning team for next season.
— Thomas Zilliacus (@TZilliacus) April 12, 2023
Jim Ratcliffe, sheik Jassim and myself all were ready to negotiate a deal to buy United. Instead Glazers chose to start a new round. I will not participate in a farce set up to maximize the profit for the sellers at the expense of Manchester United.
— Thomas Zilliacus (@TZilliacus) April 12, 2023
This appears to put an end to the only ownership proposal with anything approaching a credible fan ownership scheme.
Pre-S-League manager
Zilliacus is a Singapore PR, having arrived in the 1980s as the first Asia Pacific regional head for the Finnish mobile company Nokia.
He has also had extensive experience in football, playing professionally in both Finland and Brazil, as well as serving as the director of Finland's most successful club HJK Helsinki.
He was also formerly the manager for pre-S-League Geylang International football club until 1995.
He was interviewed by Andy Mitten, editor of the largest Manchester United Fanzine United We Stand, where he explained that he currently splits his time across several countries.
This included Singapore where he maintains a home and retains permanent residency.
He also raised his children in Singapore.
Oh no, anyway
Zilliacus' bid was met with scepticism by several fans, and during his interview with Mitten he admitted that it was due to a badly constructed press release when he announced his bid.
He had proposed a Nordic style fan ownership model, which was misconstrued as Zilliacus asking fans to foot half the bill for the club.
He has since clarified that he and his financial partners would have bought the club outright first, before transitioning to fan ownership at a later date.
Part of his vision for a Nordic ownership model was a more collaborative approach, inviting the other two main bidders to join together so as to prevent a bidding war, which would divert resources away from club improvement towards enriching the current ownership.
His bid withdrawal was met on social media with several derisive comments saying that he was never a real prospect.
We're shocked, just a lot of PR from day 1... The club never took you seriously let's be real
— Adam (@Mufc_AS) April 12, 2023
— nathan🇮🇪 (@nathanbcafc) April 12, 2023
However, a smaller batch of comments lamented that Zilliacus' bid was the only takeover mode that had fan considerations at its heart.
Jesus. Some of these comments are embarrassing. The bloke wanted to try and free the club from the Glazers and should be applauded for throwing his hat in the ring. Was he right for the club and does he have the funds? Maybe not, but give the bloke some respect for stepping up.
— Wyldeman (@wyldeman_MUFC) April 12, 2023
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Top image via Mothership & @TZilliacus/Twitter
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