Football: Sale of Manchester United
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
British billionaire, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has announced that his petrochemicals company, Ineos, has officially stated an interest in buying Manchester United FC.
Ineos has annual sales of around £50 billion, employs more 26,000 people and operates in 29 countries around the world.
Ratcliffe has been a fan of the Club since he was a boy growing up in Failsworth in Greater Manchester.
He already has a sports folio, which includes the French Ligue 1 Club, Nice, the sailing team, Ineos Britannia, and Team Sky Cycling.
It is reported that his aim is not to make money out of his sporting interests, but these merely reflect his personal passion for sports.
Manchester United has been owned by the Glazer family since 2005 and this has proved controversial with the supporters of the Club over the years.
The next few months will, no doubt, prove interesting in the evolution of the sale of the Club!
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
