If his planned takeover is successful, Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who fell in love with Manchester United when he was 10 years old, has promised to return the team to its previous glory.
The chairman of Qatari bank QIB, formerly on the board of Credit Suisse, has indicated his offer would leave United debt-free, in contrast to the Glazer family’s controversial leveraged buy-out in 2003.
Who’s Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani?
Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (born 25 August 1978) is the former heir apparent of Qatar. He is the third son of the former Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and the first child of the Emir with his second wife, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned. He abdicated his position as Crown Prince in 2003, in favor of his younger brother Tamim, citing being uninterested in becoming Emir.
Al Thani attended the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, and his “Nine Two Foundation” is a tribute to the members of the Class of 92 who were crucial to Sir Alex Ferguson’s team as it won two Champions League titles and dominated domestic football.
Between 2007 to 2013, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani served as Qatar’s prime minister.
However, it is known that Qatar Sports Investments, the company that owns French powerhouses Paris St. Germain, has no operational or legal connection to Al Thani’s bid for United.
Al Thani’s vision for the future pointed towards investment both on and off the pitch, not only with the teams, but the club’s training center and wider infrastructure as well as improvements to the stadium and the surrounding communities.
Talk of further strengthening a squad which has shown improvement this season under Erik ten Hag will have been music to United fans’ ears.
Al Thani, though, is understood to have made clear that everyone remains welcome as his bid seeks to “place the fans at the heart of Manchester United Football Club once more”.
