They don’t seem like the actions of the next owner of Manchester United Football Club. A WhatsApp sent to an international number that’s not exactly difficult to find, a reply within four minutes and a long, friendly chat over the web the next morning.
Finnish businesman Thomas Zilliacus is mighty relaxed for a man plotting to overturn the odds and launch a football ownership revolution. His bid for United was launched just seven days ago, the financing pulled together in a few hours from “a global network of contacts” and the unique bid structure dreamt up in a morning.
So how seriously should we take Zilliacus? Proving his credibility remains a battle and the nature of the takeover world is that it attracts people who know that being linked to the biggest club in the world is PR money can’t buy. Rival bidders Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, it has to be said, don’t appear unduly concerned.
Put that to Zilliacus, 69, and he insists he is deadly serious about an offer that the Raine Group, the merchant bankers handling the process on behalf of the Glazer family, at least appears prepared to listen to.
So here’s Zilliacus’s pitch: his investment group will buy the club and then issue shares that supporters can snap up, potentially for as little as $1 (81p) if the billion worldwide fans claimed by United all chip in.
That would give them a vote on substantial football matters such as whether to put funds up for stadium development or improving the squad but not, he stresses, team selection.
It is certainly a different approach, as is the charm offensive he has been on since launching the bid. As you would expect from a man who was the CEO of Nokia in Asia, talking comes easily to Zilliacus and he is slightly puzzled when I suggest that many are writing him off partly because of how accessible he is.
“I come from a culture where we’re used to being open and discussing things to conclusion. I see no reason to hide. This is not about my ego,” he tells i.
Instead, the boyhood Manchester United fan says he believes bringing a Nordic model to the Premier League would ensure the “institution” is protected.
“It was there long before all these people who are bidding for it were born and it will be here long after all these people who are bidding for it have passed away,” he says.
“The backbone of that institution is the fans and in that respect it’s hugely important the fans are at the centre of the decisions.”
Zilliacus is certainly engaging. He had four years as chairman of HJK Helsinki and has been looking to invest in a football club for months. But going for the biggest one in the world?
“I actually saw that the deadline was last Wednesday, literally on Wednesday morning and then I had to act very, very fast,” he tells i of the whirlwind last week. “I called the bank [Raine], told them we would like to participate, Raine said it was kind of late and they weren’t sure it made much sense.
“They discussed it internally and got back to us and said ‘OK, here’s an NDA [non-disclosure agreement], sign it then we’ll discuss the next steps after that’.
“We signed the NDA, put in a bid in general terms on Wednesday but then the deadline was extended to Friday, which gave us two more days to put in a revised bid, which had an actual number of what we were bidding, and that’s how it’s played out.”
It all sounds fairly matter of fact for a transaction that might end up being north of £5bn. With apologies Thomas, can you lay your hands on that kind of cash?
“I have been doing business all my life, I have started companies, bought companies, sold companies so I have a global network and I have done this on a global scale – first with the largest phone company in the world, Nokia, then with my own group.
“I have a network that spans the globe of people who want to participate in interesting ventures, and this certainly is one. To put together financing for something like this – and it is a big sum – is something I’m used to.
“When I had left Nokia, I wanted to make a bid for that company 10 years ago and it was a bigger sum than what we’re talking about now. I put the financing together for that, so this is not rocket science to me – the world is full of money that is looking for interesting opportunities.”
He is now waiting to hear back from Raine. “I don’t know if that reflects the fact that all of the bids are below what the Glazers wanted to see and therefore they are now discussing how to proceed,” he says.
He has heard the Glazers are split on whether to sell and one of his proposals is for Ratcliffe, Al Thani and himself to “join forces”.
Whatever the scepticism, he’s happy to put his head above the parapet. “All options are on the table,” he says emphatically. “This could end in any way.”
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/ix3TtcO
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