Tesla CEO, Elon Musk announced, on Wednesday, August 17, that he was purchasing the Manchester United team. However, a few hours later Musk clarified the tweet’s intent.
The billionaire tweeted;
To be clear, I support the left half of the Republican Party and the right half of the Democratic Party! Also, I’m buying Manchester United […You’re] welcome.
Also, I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2022
The club’s main Twitter account received more than 500,000 likes within six hours of the billionaire’s tweet. Some users, however, didn’t take the comment seriously and compared it to Musk’s failed attempt to attain Twitter. Fans who are dissatisfied with the team’s current American owners welcomed Musk’s claim.
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The club’s season has gotten off to one of its worst starts ever after losing its first two games, and it is currently in the last position in the English Premier League rankings. In addition, the Manchester United stadium, Old Trafford, is in need of major renovations.
Manchester United Owners Pilloried on Twitter
On Twitter, several of the club’s supporters pleaded with Musk to seriously consider purchasing Manchester United, lamenting the Glazers’ perceived lack of investment. In 2013, in their heyday, United claimed a record twenty victories under manager Alex Ferguson, but they haven’t won the English league championship since.
According to a 2017 story in the British publication The Daily Mirror, the Glazers, who bought United in 2005 for 790 million pounds ($957 million), were willing to sell if they received an offer of over four billion pounds.
Forbes has estimated the value of Manchester United, one of the most valued sports teams, to be at approximately $4.6 billion, and the group trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
However, Musk’s tweets about potential purchases have landed him in trouble before— specifically with U.S. regulators. In 2018, Musk tweeted about taking Tesla private and claimed that “financing [had been] secured” with a $72 billion proposal.
Nevertheless, he never followed through with his intention to do so and received Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges pertaining to fraud and deception of investors. Musk attempted to address these charges, and both he and Tesla each paid $20 million civil fines. Subsequently, Musk resigned from his position as Tesla chairman.
