Thomas Zilliacus has announced he has pulled out of the race to acquire Manchester United.
Longshot candidate Thomas Zilliacus has announced he will not be submitting a further bid for Manchester United.
The takeover process is now heading to a third round of bids, report BBC Sport. A new deadline has been set for April 28.
Zilliacus has now hit out at the Glazers and slammed the process. He says his involvement in the process is over, as it stands.
Zilliacus pulls out
Thomas Zilliacus was a late bidder to the process. The Finnish entrepreneur told Dutch outlet NOS last month that he had good intentions, and he would open up his bid to fans.
He explained: “Without fans there is no club. When the deal is done and I own the club, I will invite them to buy shares in the club. As far as I am concerned, Manchester United does not belong to one person, not an ego trip, but to everyone with a heart for the club.”
However, Zilliacus now appears disillusioned with the process. He says he is now choosing to walk away, labelling the sale as a ‘farce’.
He wrote on social media: “I have declined participation in a third bidding round for United. The bidding is turning into a farce, with Glazers giving no respect to the club. The delays will make it very difficult for any new owner to build a winning team for next season.
“Jim Ratcliffe, Sheikh Jassim and myself all were ready to negotiate a deal to buy United. Instead Glazers chose to start a new round. I will not participate in a farce set up to maximize the profit for the sellers at the expense of Manchester United.”
Rival bidders Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim remain committed to the process. Both of those are the favourites to buy the club, with Zilliacus only seen as a wildcard outsider.
Nonetheless, there is a fear that either of the two remaining bidders could feel similarly about the way the Glazers are dragging this out to create maximum profit.
He raises a point United fans are concerned with, that the sale process will impact the club’s preparations heading into next season. But as we have previously noted, when did the Glazers ever care about United’s success anyway?
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