The Saudi Takeover Rumor Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
Some of the mental gymnastics (and in some cases just being extremely thick) going on in this thread is incredible.
 
The point is much is made of who the owners are vis a vis their moral standing, it don't matter much for me.
Perhaps not the best analogy but fans in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan did not stop supporting united because of what they passed through in the hands of British government.
At the end of the day political stuffs will be secondary.
Also much of what is happening in Saudi is government related mess, as is found in most parts of the world. What happens in Saudi is the present reality of the Saudi people and their culture. For example in most of the Africa country, Homosexuality is still considered a crime and this is popular with most of its population.
In a nutshell, them involving with united has no bearing on how I see my club.
But then Man Utd fans can not at the same time criticise City for having an owner with links to the UAE
 
I am not defending anything. I don't know why Saudi does this or that. It is their country. They can ban dabbing or dancing altogether.

This is part of the problem though. It isn’t ‘their’ country. They’re the royal family of that country who can do what ever they like and tell an entire nation how to behave.

They make their entire country follow strict Muslim law yet are well known for murder, drinking alcohol and adultery. They are massive hypocrites. They effectively bride the West by buying a ridiculous amount of weapons from us so we leave them to it. It’s what completely wrong with modern society. If United were owned by them that would be me done with the club, I’m slowly getting tired with how top level football is going anyway.
 
The point is much is made of who the owners are vis a vis their moral standing, it don't matter much for me.
Perhaps not the best analogy but fans in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan did not stop supporting united because of what they passed through in the hands of British government.
At the end of the day political stuffs will be secondary.
Also much of what is happening in Saudi is government related mess, as is found in most parts of the world. What happens in Saudi is the present reality of the Saudi people and their culture. For example in most of the Africa country, Homosexuality is still considered a crime and this is popular with most of its population.
In a nutshell, them involving with united has no bearing on how I see my club.

Yes, but it’s not the UK or US Governments who own United. It’s not analogous.
 
:lol: At some of the comments in this thread.

If you can’t tell the difference between a citizen of a country owning a club vs the owners of a country owning a club then you need to give up trying to debate.

Living in a country that has laws you don’t agree with is one thing but actually setting the laws is another thing entirely.
 
Whilst on paper the investment might sound great, after a few months of sycophantic press releases in the style of the house of Saud we would all feel sick to the stomach.

Watch a Saudi news bulletin and it is all about blowing smoke up the royal families arse and real news gets about 3 heavily censored minutes.

They have been spinning about Bin Salman being a voice for change but the khoshoggi situation shows their true colours.

I don't think they would want the exposure that owning United would bring.
 
It's a choice between a debt that still can be erased or kneeling to a murderer of civilians. Don't want to be banned so I'll cut my rant to simple - We be f*cked.

Thankfully many people on here know how much of a humanitarian crisis was caused by Salman's family. The fact that Glazers entertain the idea of giving United in hands of someone like that only confirms the sad truth about their absolute no respect for a serious sport institutions like United.

Bad times.

EDIT: United have their own money earned through decades to make super huge investments. Ask yourself do you need an Adolf Hitler mark II so much to make them for you.
 
But then Man Utd fans can not at the same time criticise City for having an owner with links to the UAE
If we were bought by the Saudis, then you would he absolutely correct.

Also, "with links to..." is an accurate representation of course.
 
It's a choice between a debt that still can be erased or kneeling to a murderer of civilians. Don't want to be banned so I'll cut my rant to simple - We be f*cked.

Thankfully many people on here know how much of a humanitarian crisis was caused by Salman's family. The fact that Glazers entertain the idea of giving United in hands of someone like that only confirms the sad truth about their absolute no respect for a serious sport institutions like United.

Bad times.

EDIT: United have their own money earned through decades to make super huge investments. Ask yourself do you need an Adolf Hitler mark II so much to make them for you.
What the basis for this though?
Fact is the Glazers altered the ownership structure last year- gone is Red Football LLC with all shares now residing in trusts in each of their names. That speaks to an intention for each Glazer to operate independently wrt ownership.
Just 2 weeks ago, one of the Glazers bought 1m B shares from another at market value. Such a transaction is unlikely were there a Saudi takeover in the offing.
 
Call me crazy, but I feel football clubs and sporting teams shouldn't be owned by an individual or a company (least of all by Kings, prince's and countries). It should be the property of the fan base / supporters and should be listed on the public stock exchange. No individual should be allowed to purchase a controlling share in the football club by law. That's the only way I feel the integrity of the sport will remain.

As for the saudi's taking over man utd, I don't think supporters will stop watching United. But i can only speak for myself and say that I would definitely lose some respect and love for the club.

PSG and City (and Chelsea to some extent) have changed club football. In the current economic environment it's not possible to compete at the highest level without receiving (or possessing) obscene amounts of money from investors. The Saudi's will definitely help us compete and would blow City and PSG out of the water when it comes to spending. And its very likely no one will care how obscene it all is since we all love the game and are interested in (and distracted by) whats happening on the pitch.
 
Yes, but it’s not the UK or US Governments who own United. It’s not analogous.
The point though is that governments do evil and despicable things, that's how they role.
If the US government or Trump/Bush/Obama to be specific buys united, am pretty sure most of the anti Saudi take over will find no wrong in that. Yet these are governments or people who have propagated just as much evil.
 
You know what guys. This would be it, for me.

Since SAF left, with each passing season, I have grown more and more detached from our club.

- Drab managers who dont appeal to me, as people.
- A squad full of players I'm completely indifferent to. I can name around 4-5 players at the club I genuinely like - the rest I either dislike intensely or am completely apathetic about.
- Shite, boring, horrible, basic football on the pitch.
- Shite results.
- Little to shout about in the success column / trophy cabinet.
- A horrible little tosser of a CEO whose very appearance grates on me.

If the Saudis buy MUFC.....I think I tap out.

To be honest, my love affair with football has been dwindling a lot since SAF, football in general that is. It's no longer a major part of my life. I loved the World Cup this summer as it was refreshing to watch football as a complete neutral, for nothing but entertainment reasons.

Maybe I'm just waiting for the final nail in the coffin to turn me away for good - the Saudis would be that nail.
 
The idea that the Caf is left leaning is silly. It couldn't be more dead centre if it had a dashed white line through it.
Not really. The opinions ive seen on many issues are imo at least quite left of centre.
 
That pretty much sums up the attitude of far too many people nowadays, doesn't it. I mean, how dare people actually give a shit about things, eh?

Oh they do care just as much. Just get a topic they care about (abortion, free speech, religion) and they'll start ranting and raving like anyone else.

It just annoys them that right-wing/conservative/anti-SJW points of view are viewed as shite craic. Party-pooping cnuts.
 
He's a private businessman. That's a false equivalence.
@Kapardin I actually misread your comment. It's a good question. I think to some extent it might. Arsenal as a football club probably does not want to be associated with game trophy-hunting. And an association may be naturally drawn between trophy hunting and arsenal because of Kroenke, rightly or wrongly.

But to be honest I've never met one Arsenal supporter who doesn't hate or dislike Kroenke. I don't think the owner represents the club or it's values and the same goes for the Glazers and United. But I think the City ownership and a potential Saudi ownership would be a completely different level of separation between club and owners. And that's one I personally wouldn't be willing to countenance.
 
The point though is that governments do evil and despicable things, that's how they role.
If the US government or Trump/Bush/Obama to be specific buys united, am pretty sure most of the anti Saudi take over will find no wrong in that. Yet these are governments or people who have propagated just as much evil.
What makes you think we wouldn't?
 
Not really. The opinions ive seen on many issues are imo at least quite left of centre.

And I've seen lots that are right and even far right but that doesn't make the Caf right wing.
 
I am not defending anything. I don't know why Saudi does this or that. It is their country. They can ban dabbing or dancing altogether.

For what it's worth dabbing isn't banned. The text refers to a new craze around inhaling concentrated forms of synthetic marijuana called "the dab"

Just ignorant uneducated feckwits believing everything they read and jumping to the most convenient conclusion
 
The point though is that governments do evil and despicable things, that's how they role.
If the US government or Trump/Bush/Obama to be specific buys united, am pretty sure most of the anti Saudi take over will find no wrong in that. Yet these are governments or people who have propagated just as much evil.

Mate if Trump bought United people would be more up in arms than against the Saudis. How on earth can you say that people would not have a problem with it, when every single one of Trump, Bush and Obama are regularly called out on their crimes on here. If anything the only people who would probably find no wrong in it would be the same people who find no wrong in the Saudi royal family owning United.

FFS there’s mental gymnastics and then there’s outright stupidity, and this thread is demonstrating far more of the latter.
 
What was the journalist supposed to have done to be killed by a prince?
 
For what it's worth dabbing isn't banned. The text refers to a new craze around inhaling concentrated forms of synthetic marijuana called "the dab"

Just ignorant uneducated feckwits believing everything they read and jumping to the most convenient conclusion

:lol: Wow you're really taking this dabbing thing personally mate.

So dabbing isn't banned in Saudi Arabia but they arrested someone for it and investigated someone else?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-40886288

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-42578394
 
Last edited:
For what it's worth dabbing isn't banned. The text refers to a new craze around inhaling concentrated forms of synthetic marijuana called "the dab"

Just ignorant uneducated feckwits believing everything they read and jumping to the most convenient conclusion

https://www.akhbaralaan.net/entertainment/misc/2017/8/7/ماهي-رقصة-الداب-ولماذا-تجرمها-السعودية

And as Stevoc has pointed out, there are multiple examples of the Saudi authorities reacting to people dabbing.

For what it is worth, the dabbing thing is a joke anyway. In a long, long list of Saudi royal family actions, both towards its own actions and towards other countries, banning or even discouraging dabbing if you want to put it that way (for all of us apparently ignorant, uneducated feckwits) are way down the list of things people should concern themselves over.
 
Being opposed to a brutal dictatorship is not a question of being right or left of center in a European or North American democratic context.
I don't support the saudis, the point i was making was orthogonal to this one and wasn't really directly related to this. More generic based on what I observe in these forums and in others like these.
 
And I've seen lots that are right and even far right but that doesn't make the Caf right wing.
I think on balance if you theoretically enumerated every opinion that would help you arrive at a conclusion on here you would get your answer. I reckon it is much more liberal than conservative.
 
I think on balance if you theoretically enumerated every opinion that would help you arrive at a conclusion on here you would get your answer. I reckon it is much more liberal than conservative.

Where I live Liberals are fairly far to the right. At least Tory level right.

In the UK Liberals (now Lib Dems) are about as center as you can get and that is where the Caf is.
 
Where I live Liberals are fairly far to the right. At least Tory level right.

In the UK Liberals (now Lib Dems) are about as center as you can get and that is where the Caf is.
far right would be the sort who voted for Brexit?
 
If the Tories, for example, bought Manchester United I’d have a real problem with that.

If someone who simply lived in the UK or the USA bought United, then...well I’m not really sure what your point is actually.
So you are ok living and paying taxes in these countries using your money in killing other nations, but you are not ok with another government you dont have any connection with taking over a football club you like?

This can go on.
 
I'm a new member.
I believe that with one of Uniteds owners numerous visits and Mr. Arnold now also being pictured in SA, that a buyout is imminent.
All this tosh about being at a convention doesn't wash for me.
Jose will have told Woodward that he worked a miracle getting this squad to a runner -up position last season, and to be fair, he did.
He will also have informed, I'm sure, of the massive money that would be needed to compete, say 6 new players @£50-60m plus wages.
Giving Jose a new contract to tie him in, then denying him any money to spend didn't look right.
However, if a takeover from a Super Rich family was in the offing, surely the Glazers would be thinking, 'let's not spend, let them do it, after the deal'.
They would then take a bigger dividend and the books look great, increasing the value of the company.
I could be wrong but if I am, top 4 is a big ask for this squad, and make no bones, Jose will have told Woodward this too
 
Status
Not open for further replies.