Byline: ADRIAN WARNER
WHILE outraged fans vent their anger on John McCririck- lookalike Malcolm Glazer, it is his son Joel Glazer who will have a bigger say on the fate of Manchester United.
United action groups were busy last night burning effigies of the Glazers, outside what they are now calling Sold Trafford, and the future is worrying for supporters.
The Glazers are borrowing more than [pounds sterling]500million to fund their takeover and respected City analysts are alarmed at how they will raise the money to pay off the debts and keep United as a force on the pitch.
Fans are probably right to fear a more aggressive assault from the American owners - and all five of his sons are in the family business - on television rights, sponsorship deals and merchandising.
The 75-year-old father has a record of putting up ticket prices as owner of American Football team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - and he does do tacky.
Their ground is packed with massive billboards and even boasts a fake 19th-century pirate ship whose cannons fire merchandise into the crowd after touchdowns.
Glazer senior clearly sees the club as a licence to print money and will have little interest in whether Ruud van Nistelrooy or Alan Smith is partnering Wayne Rooney up front. His knowledge of sport is perhaps summed up by the tale of when he got up to cheer a touchdown for Tampa and the Mayor had to whisper in his ear: "It's not us who have scored."
Joel, though, may commute between Florida and England to run the Manchester United States empire, even having an office at Old Trafford.
He has been the driving force, refusing to concede defeat in this two-year battle for United when others would have given up. That, it's claimed, is because he loves football.
He sold the idea of buying United to his older brother Avi and together they forced through the takeover.
Joel's interest in United goes back 20 years. It was in the unlikely surroundings of Washington's American University that Joel, now 37, discovered his passion for United.
Joel was introduced to "soccer" by an English roommate he met while reading interdisciplinary studies there at the end of the 1980s - an era of scant success for United with mediocrities like Ralph Milne rather than superstars like Cristiano "He's a genuine United fan," said one close associate who has worked with the Glazer family for more than 10 years. "A lot of people think the bid for Ronaldo.
Manchester is a money play but they're missing the point. He has cared passionately about this club since he was young and has retained that interest long after others have moved on to something else."
Sympathetic observers insist Joel has a fan-friendly approach to running the Buccaneers, after buying them for [pounds sterling]103m in 1995. They claim Joel cares about the Buccaneers' community role and often upgrades fans in cheaper parts of the team's Raymond James stadium to VIP areas. Such soft soap is unlikely to wash with United fans but according to one journalist who has known Joel for around 10 years, his passion for Old Trafford is genuine.
Roy Cummins, of the Tampa Bay Tribune, said: "He's an ardent fan.
Once I was talking to him on the field at Atlanta before a game and he suddenly had to stop the interview because he was all excited. A friend had texted him the latest United score.
He really does follow it closely."
It is thought he has only been to a handful of games at Old Trafford but he rarely misses a match on television.
If Joel will provide some of the passion, his brother Avi may offer some of the business ideas that will trouble United fans. During his time as chief executive of Zapata Corporation, the fish oil and meat production company originally sold to his father by former US President George Bush, there have been several investigations into his business practices.
A concern is the Glazers could try to smash the Premier League's TV packagingand give United the opportunity to sell all their TV and internet rights separately. This would be hugely lucrative to United but very damaging to less glamorous Premiership clubs who would struggle to make money from TV rights.
Since United have some of the cheapest ticket prices in the Premiership, it would not take Glazers' new team long to realise they can put up prices significantly and still fill the ground.
In February news of increased prices for the Bucs came out on the Friday night before the Super Bowl, a good moment to bury bad news. In a British football world where it won't be long before Arsenal are playing at the Emirates Stadium, the Glazers' team may rename Old Trafford and its stands after sponsors in a bid to increase earnings.
If Joel genuinely is a fan then gettingit right on the pitch may be the trickiest problem. Tuesday's defeat by a second-string Chelsea team and the near-empty stadium in which Sir Alex Ferguson trudged round with the face of a defeated old man gave the sense that an era was about to end.
United dominated the 1990s but this decade may be all Blue. And whereas Roman Abramovich's millions have won over the Chelsea faithful, Joel is more likely to have to attend matches with bodyguards to protect him from supporters of his own team.
The Americans could point to positive signs with the Bucs. Before the 1995 takeover, they were a losing team.
He built them back up to win the Super Bowl in 2003. United already faced a daunting summer - with a Champions League qualification and uncertainty over contract negotiations for Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Ronaldo - and the immediate future of the players and manager will come under scrutiny.
Joel is reported to have asked "how much longer can Giggs play" and even Ferguson admitted today: "I am in the dark about what's going on".
Next Saturday's FA Cup Final with Arsenal now seems a very minor skirmish compared to Joel's battle for the soul of Old Trafford.
No comments:
Post a Comment