Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, temporarily put aside depression over Manchester United shares and fans on Wednesday, tweeting that he was buying the English football club, but not long after. It was all part of the ‘long-running joke’.
One of the most successful clubs in the world, the Red Devils have sunk to the bottom of the Premier League and have seen eight coaches come and go in less than a decade, so some fans and investors are skeptical. , the American Glazer family, owners of the club, sold.
Enter the billionaire CEO of Tesla.
“Just to clarify, I support the left half of the Republican Party and the right half of the Democratic Party! Also, I am buying Manchester United. Best regards – Elon Musk.” 103 million human followers.
Some of the club’s fans had previously taken to Twitter to urge Musk to consider buying the club, complaining of underinvestment by the Glazers. won the league title.
Within six hours, Musk’s tweet garnered more than 500,000 likes on the club’s main Twitter account, but some users didn’t take it too seriously, prompting Musk to take the post to Twitter. A comparison was made with the troubled execution of the acquisition.
But then a clarification was made.
When asked if he was serious, Musk posted, “No, this is a running joke on Twitter. I’m not buying a sports team.”
“But if it’s a team, it’s Man United,” he added. “They were my favorite team when I was a kid.”
Florida-based Glazers, Mr Musk and his attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Manchester United declined to comment.
United fans were not impressed.
Manchester United Fanatics Club Hungary said, “This is just a tweet from someone who doesn’t always think twice before writing something.”
The Kolkata fan club added: “Earon and his tweet reaffirmed the fact that it was just a gimmick. He really invested a tenth of what he paid Twitter to own this legendary club. It would have been great…but the fanbase is sick of the Glazers.”
Still, Mr. Musk’s musings ignited trading in the company’s U.S.-listed shares before the New York market opened. After briefly rising 17%, he settled around $13.20, about 3% above Tuesday’s close.
Senior analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya at Swissquote Bank did not believe Musk and United were a perfect match.
“Elon Musk and his expertise won’t necessarily bring value to Manchester United unless the goal is to replace players with robots.
irreverent jokester
The tweet isn’t the first to land Musk amid controversy.
The entrepreneur is now looking to get out of a $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter, and it was brought to court just four months after announcing it would acquire the social media company on the platform.
Mr. Musk has a history of being unconventional and irreverent, and sometimes you can’t tell if he’s joking.
“Next time I’m going to buy Coca-Cola and get my cocaine back,” he tweeted on April 27th, and two days later, on April 27th, Twitter’s board approved his unsolicited takeover offer. accepted the
Musk’s tweets about a potential acquisition have soured relations with U.S. regulators in the past.
In 2018, he tweeted that “funding secured” for a $72 billion deal to take Tesla private, but did not make an offer. Musk and Tesla each paid his $20 million civil fine, and Musk stepped down as Tesla’s chairman to settle allegations that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) deceived investors.
The SEC declined to comment on Musk’s latest tweet.
Mr. Musk’s ambitions range from colonizing Mars to creating a new sustainable energy economy, and along the way he has invested in Tesla, rocket company SpaceX, and a host of small businesses, some of the world’s most valuable auto companies. has been built up. One is a tunnel maker called the Boring Company.
widespread opposition
Fans are calling for a change in ownership of three-time European Cup winners United.
The Daily Mirror reported last year that the Glazers, who bought the club for £790m ($957m) in 2005, were ready to sell.
However, Glazers has shown no interest in selling.
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is a longtime fan and touted as a potential buyer from the Manchester area. A spokesman for the chemical company INEOS, of which he is chairman, declined to comment.
There were also unconfirmed reports of Saudi Arabia’s interest in United before the Saudi PIF investment fund acquired another Premier League club, Newcastle United.
The Glazers rarely make public statements about their ownership of the club, but after heavy criticism of their involvement in the canceled European Super League plans, Joel Glazer will open up to the club’s fans in May 2021. I wrote a letter.
“My family and I care deeply about Manchester United and want to reassure you that we feel a deep sense of responsibility to protect and strengthen its strength in the long term, while respecting its values and traditions.
Forbes this year ranked United, with its huge global fan base, as the third most valuable football club in the world at $4.6 billion, behind Spain’s Real Madrid and Barcelona.
However, the club’s share price has fallen a quarter over the past 12 months and is now valued at just over $2 billion.
