
Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to buy initial stake in Manchester United after outplaying Sheikh Jassim
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are now in line to buy an initial 25 per cent stake in Manchester United, with the decision set to be ratified at a club board meeting this week. The billionaire petrochemicals mogul wants this to be a “path to a majority”, according to involved figures, and will already be seeking influence on football decisions. While Sheikh Jassim’s withdrawal was confirmed on Saturday evening, this has been interpreted as “face-saving”, as the ultimately underwhelming Qatari bid had been tactically outmanoeuvred by Ineos. It had long been felt by those with knowledge of Ratcliffe’s bid that Avram and Joel Glazer would ultimately never agree on a full sale now – preventing the unanimity required – which led the Ineos bid to pursue alternative options. Ratcliffe’s decision to go for a 25 per cent minority stake, valued at around £1.3bn, was seen as bringing a breakthrough in the last month while also staving off any concerns about legal challenges if he went for the Glazers’ 67 per cent. The owners of A shares had been willing to go to litigation if Ratcliffe only agreed to purchase the more powerful B shares, but he will now purchase a mix. Qatar never budged from only wanting a full sale but their offer of around £5bn was consistently seen as surprisingly low, and figures involved always found it confusing as to why the Jassim-fronted bid went no higher given the obvious prestige of such a club. One figure with knowledge of the Qatari side insisted that some of it came down to the perception of getting a good deal and not being seen to overpay. The irony is that one reason Joel and Avram Glazer have been so reluctant to sell is because they still expect an explosion in valuation over the next decade. Read More Sheikh Jassim withdraws from Manchester United takeover process Sheikh Jassim withdraws offer to buy Manchester United over Glazers’ high price Daniel James insists Wales can still qualify for Euro 2024
2023-10-15 06:16

Italy ease past Malta to keep pressure on England in Euro 2024 qualifying
Italy secured a routine 4-0 victory over Malta to keep the pressure on England in Group C of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. Giacomo Bonaventura opened the scoring for the Italians for his first-ever international goal and Domenico Berardi then scored twice – either side of half-time – before Davide Frattesi added a fourth in added time. Ukraine picked up an important three points in a bid for their group-stage hopes after they ran out 2-0 winners over North Macedonia. Ukraine opened the scoring in rather fortunate fashion as an Heorhiy Sudakov effort from outside the area was heavily deflected into the net to make it 1-0. The Ukrainians had to wait till stoppage time to rubber stamp the points when Oleksandr Karavayev spotted goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski off his line before firing home. In Group G, Hungary put themselves in the driving seat to qualify from the group after they defeated Serbia 2-1 at home. Barnabas Varga put the hosts ahead after 21 minutes and they were pegged back 12 minutes later through Strahinja Pavlovic, but Hungary instantly regained their lead when the ball fell for Roland Sallai, who let fly from 25 yards to win the match. Lithuania registered their first win of the qualifiers at the sixth attempt thanks to defender Pijus Sirvys’ double either side of half-time to beat 10-man Bulgaria 2-0. Three minutes after Adrian Kraev was sent off for a second bookable offence, Lithuania opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time after Sirvys bundled the ball home from a corner and he doubled their advantage 10 minutes after the break to pick up their first three points of the competition. In Group H, Northern Ireland wrapped up a 3-0 victory over lowly San Marino. Paul Smyth opened the scoring for the home side at Windsor Park in superb fashion with his scissor-kick from inside the area and they doubled their advantage six minutes later through Josh Magennis before adding a third – nine minutes from time – when Conor McMenamin netted his first international goal from close range. Slovenia strengthened their grip on qualifying following a 3-0 rout over Finland. Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko netted twice in the first half, firstly from the penalty spot before he raced through on goal and buried his second and all three points were rubber stamped in stoppage-time thanks to Eric Janza’s strike. Denmark stayed level on points with Slovenia to occupy the top two spots after they earned a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan. Jonas Wind opened the scoring in Parken when he bundled home from close range and Robert Skov added a second before he latched onto Christian Eriksen’s through ball to slot home Denmark’s third. Read More New Zealand end Ireland’s World Cup dreams as quarter-final curse continues Ben Earl convinced England can prove critics wrong in last-eight Fiji showdown Sam Tomkins’ career ends with Grand Final loss to his former side Wigan Warren Gatland admits change of referee did not help Wales in Argentina loss Sheikh Jassim withdraws from Manchester United takeover process Emiliano Boffelli stars as Argentina send Wales home from World Cup
2023-10-15 05:46

3 New Jersey Devils to blame for overtime loss to Arizona Coyotes
The New Jersey Devils fell to the Arizona Coyotes in a sloppy game for their first loss of the season.
2023-10-15 05:26

Alabama proves it’s not even a College Football Playoff sleeper against Arkansas
After being pushed to the brink by Arkansas, no, Alabama is not a College Football Playoff contender. They are going to lose at least one more game before decision day, aight.
2023-10-15 05:24

College football rankings: Should Georgia still be No. 1 over Michigan?
The Georgia Bulldogs are 7-0 and ranked No. 1, but some people may think the Michigan Wolverines are better. How wrong are they? Could Michigan overtake Georgia in the next AP Top 25 poll?
2023-10-15 04:23

UAW says had to escalate action on Ford
(Reuters) -The United Auto Workers said on Saturday they had to escalate action against Ford as they expected a revised
2023-10-15 04:16

Spooky Season: Eclipse creates creepy aura over Georgia-Vanderbilt
A partial solar eclipse took place in Nashville in a game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs.
2023-10-15 03:25

Colombia Finance Chief Sees Swift Key Rate Cuts to 8% by 2024
Colombia’s central bank has room to lower interest rates by over five percentage points from the current level
2023-10-15 02:53

Sheikh Jassim withdraws from Manchester United takeover process
Sheikh Jassim has withdrawn from the process to buy Manchester United, the PA news agency understands. Fans have protested against the Glazer family since their controversial leveraged takeover in 2005 and last November’s announcement of a strategic review brought hope of change. The possibility of a full sale was mentioned and Sheikh Jassim became the first bidder to publicly confirm he had made an offer for the Old Trafford giants. Sir Jim Ratcliffe swiftly followed but the interminable potential takeover process has rumbled on as the demanding Glazer family dragged their heels. It is now understood that, following further discussions, a frustrated Sheikh Jassim has withdrawn from the process to buy the Premier League club. The Qatari banker informed the United owners of his decision in the last few days. Sheikh Jassim’s team announced in February that he had submitted a bid to buy 100 per cent of the club, promising a completely debt-free takeover via his Nine Two Foundation. The bid is understood to have eventually reached around double the current 3.2billion dollars (£2.6bn) market valuation of the Premier League club. An additional 1.7bn dollars (£1.4bn) is believed to have been pledged for infrastructure projects. Earlier this month it was reported that rival bidder Ratcliffe was considering changing his offer and buying a minority stake in United. It was reported he may seek a stake in the region of 25 per cent as part of a proposal to try to bring the drawn-out sale process to an end, having initially wanted to complete a majority takeover. If the Glazers accepted this new reported offer, it would see the American family still retain majority control of the club. United sit 10th in the Premier League after a difficult start to the season for Erik ten Hag’s team. Read More Emiliano Boffelli stars as Argentina send Wales home from World Cup Joe Root dismisses ODI retirement talk with next Cricket World Cup in his plans Michael O’Neill hails Paul Smyth impact on first Northern Ireland start
2023-10-15 02:25

Oregon vs. Washington series history: Records, last wins, streaks and more
Who holds the edge in the Washington Huskies vs. Oregon Ducks all-time series ahead of their Week 7 matchup?
2023-10-15 02:21

Andy Robertson injury: Progress & potential return date for Liverpool defender
90min looks at when Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson might return after suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder for Scotland in a 2-0 defeat at Spain during the international break.
2023-10-15 01:25

How Colorado can qualify for a bowl game after Stanford loss
A collapse for the ages in the second half vs. Stanford has Colorado between a rock and a hard place when it comes to achieving bowl eligibility. How can the Buffaloes qualify for a bowl game now? Can they still do it?
2023-10-15 01:23