January 14, (THEWILL) – Billionaire businessman, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, attended his first Manchester United match since agreeing to a deal to buy a 25% stake in the club on December 24.
Speaking ahead of United’s home match against Tottenham Hotspur, on Sunday, the 71-year-old told reporters this was the “most exciting thing” he had ever done and he expects the partial takeover to be ratified by mid-February.
Ratcliffe revealed it was his first visit to Old Trafford in almost three years. He reminisced about legendary former players, Paul Scholes and Eric Cantona, whom he watched play for the Red Devils when he was around 10 years old.
The INEOS CEO did not take questions on specifics, saying it would be “inappropriate” to comment in detail before the deal officially goes through. However, he did say he plans to attend “quite a lot” of matches in the future. The billionaire industrialist predicts the takeover will be formally approved in “three or four weeks.”
When ratified, INEOS will take responsibility for football operations at the 20-time English champions. Ratcliffe joked he hopes regulators “don’t find anything dodgy” in his background when they assess the deal. He also declined to answer questions on his potential influence over the January transfer window. Once the deal has been signed off, Ratcliffe will give more in-depth interviews to the media.
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.
