August 17, (THEWILL) – On Tuesday night, Elon Musk said he was going to buy Manchester United, exciting fans about the prospect of the increasingly unpopular Glazer family taking control of the team. However, the South African-born tech billionaire later admitted the claim was a joke.
After a disappointing summer and a poor start to the new season, attitudes against the Glazer family, who have taken an estimated £1.1 billion out of the club while they have been owners, have once again bubbled over into full-blown rage in recent weeks.
Before the crucial Old Trafford match against Liverpool next week, supporters are organising a significant demonstration, and former board member, Michael Knighton, has made headlines after claiming to have the resources to launch a hostile takeover bid.
That was before Musk, the world’s richest person with a net worth estimated at $240bn, thrilled United fans by tweeting: “Also, I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome [sic].” Earlier this year, Musk put in a $44 billion bid to buy twitter, but later withdrew from the deal. United’s fans may have thought that he had the money to make a takeover attempt.
But after a few hours, responding to a question about how serious he was, Musk revealed it was a joke, saying: “No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I’m not buying any sports teams,” even though he added: “If it were any team, it would be Man U. They were my fav team as a kid.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
