The ownership saga of Manchester United

Once the European giants, a club struggling for consistency, continue to survive in the Premier League in recent years. After reigning the English Premier League for 20 years, Manchester United has not won for the last 12 years amidst the chopping and changing of the managers. While this is one part of the story, the other part is the club has seen changing its hands from previous owners to the Glazers Family to the new owners. In this article, we shall look at the Ownership sage of Manchester United, who owns the club and what is the history of the ownership. 

Manchester United: The current day owners

While Manchester United is a publicly listed entity on the New York Stock Exchange, the Glazers family owns a significant part of the club. After Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS went all out to buy a portion of the club, there are three types of investors/partners at the club. The Glazers Family has ownership of over 65%, Sir Jim Ratcliffe with 29% and the investors, including directors and retail investors, have up to 31%. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought the stakes of the club from the previous owners, the Glazers Family in a deal worth GBP 1.25 billion after a long-drawn race between INEOS and the family of Sheikh Jassim. A lifelong and boyhood Manchester United fan dreams of changing the misfortunes of the club over the recent years.

Who are the directors and chairman of Manchester United?

From the Glazers Family, both brothers, Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer continue to remain the executive co-chairman of the club. Omer Berrada is the CEO of Manchester United with INEOS bringing him to replace Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold.

Robert Leitão and John Hooks are the independent directors of the football club whereas the new partial owners, INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe appointed Roger Bell as the Chief Financial Officer, replacing Cliff Baty. Several other directors of the club include Kevin, Bryan and Edward Glazer, John Reece and Rob Nevin.

The past of Manchester United: Who owned the club prior to the Glazers family? 

Before the Glazers Family, the club’s majority stakeholders included JP McManus and John Magnier from Ireland. The club had multiple investors coming in and going out. Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB corporation tried to take over the club in 1998 but the club had thwarted the approach. However, the sports mogul and Tampa Bay owner, Malcolm Glazer had continued to acquire Manchester United shares, which had raised from 3% to 15% by 2003.

When the Glazers Family acquired the stakes of JP McManus and John Magnier, it tilted up to 57%. The Glazer Family forced a takeover bid, buying out the club with the help of secured loans. The club was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011 as a part of refinancing as the owners struggled to pay the loans. 

How did the club fare under the Glazers tenure? 

With the Glazers family at the helm, Manchester United have struggled post Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure. The club had five Premier League titles, one Champions League and several domestic cups until one of the best managers in the Premier League retired. However, post that, the club has won one Europa League and two FA Cups under five different managers.

The INEOS era: How is the club faring? 

While the rebuild of Manchester United continues under the INEOS leadership, few of the decisions have enraged the fans. This includes the contract extension for Erik Ten Hag who had finished 8th on the points table in the 2023/24 season, but also firing him after failing to produce results in the new campaign.

The severance included GBP 17 million, putting additional pressure on the club’s deteriorating finances. The decision to sack Dan Ashworth, the Sporting Director at the club has also raised serious eyebrows. However, the fans have applauded the signing of Ruben Amorim, who is looking to bring a culture as well as a style of play for the club despite being short-handed with the resources. It will be crucial for the club to put in a huge performance in the upcoming winter and summer transfer window to salvage the season where the club is in 14th position after Christmas.