Manchester United fans are demanding answers after months of delay to announce the fate of the club.
Amid recent reports that the Qatari takeover by Sheikh Jassim is increasingly confident it’s won the bidding war for Manchester United, fans of the club online have voiced their growing expectations for the long-awaited acquisition.
Believing it’s just a matter of time before an official announcement is made, several fan accounts have expressed their desire for the Qataris to take the reins of the club.
“I hope this gets over soon .. Glazers can’t wait to show you the way to Airport,” one user wrote on Twitter.
Social media account Manchester United Forever, an outlet that depicts itself as a “source inside the club,” voiced that British bidder Sir Jim Ratcliffe has withdrawn from the bid and a Qatari takeover is imminent.
“Sir Jim Ratcliffe has pulled out of the race to buy Manchester United. Glazers have only one bidder right now on the table, and deal with Qatari is ready to go. All the documents are ready from Qatari Takeover and waiting on the green light from Glazers,” the account wrote.
On Monday, widely known Qatari sports journalist Mohammed Al-Kaabi poked a tweet at former United defender Rio Ferdinand. The tweet came after the former Manchester United player speculated that the Qatari bid to buy the club “won’t go any higher” on his YouTube channel, FIVE.
“I think they’ve gone as far as they’re gonna go with the bid. This is them, this is their final offer. It’s a kinda take it or leave it-type situation. I can’t see it being anything else [other] than that. I can’t see the statement being anything else but ‘we are here, we’re at the table, but we’re being held back,” Ferdinand said.
The former English footballer went on to explain why the club’s sale process has been delayed for some nine months.
“Things were running quite smooth and it was going down the right path,” he explained. “I think the big issue is when you’re dealing with a group of people rather than an individual it makes things very complex and difficult at times,” Ferdinand added.
Whether or not Manchester United’s sale process is being held up by disagreements over which bid to proceed with between the Glazer family, an announcement is expected to be made soon.
Last month, United fans blocked the entrance to the megastore on the day of the launch of the new team’s kit as part of an anti-Glazer protest.
Videos online showed a small gathering of fans spotted outside Old Trafford holding anti-Glazer banners and flags.
The Glazer family has voiced no official statements since the announcement of the sale at the beginning of the year.
