Manchester United: who owns the Premier League giants?
The club’s ownership is a controversial talking point among United supporters, but who owns the Premier League giants and how long have they been around for?
Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in world football, have had American owners for almost two decades. We take a look at when they arrived at Old Trafford and what their relationship is like with fans of the club.
Who owns Manchester United?
American businessman Malcolm Glazer controversially bought Manchester United in 2005 for £790million. Glazer passed away in 2014 and United are currently owned by his six children: Avram, Joel, Kevin, Bryan, Darcie and Edward Glazer.
Joel and Avram Glazer are in charge of United as co-chairmen. Before joining United, Avram was chairman and chief executive of the George W Bush-founded Zapata Corporation.
Super League apology
Joel Glazer has a much more active role with United and played a leading role in the attempt to set up a breakaway European Super League. He subsequently wrote an open letter to the club’s fans.
"I was personally humbled by parts of your letter, as you explained so clearly why our initial support for the European Super League left you feeling angry and let down.
"I would like to reiterate my sincere apology for the mistakes that were made.
"In particular, I want to acknowledge the need for change, with deeper consultation with you as our main fan representative body across a range of important issues, including the competitions we play in.
"We also recognise the importance of fan and football interests being embedded in key decision-making processes at every level of the club, and we are open to constructive discussions on how to reinforce that principle," Glazer said.
Owners of Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Glazer family, who also own the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have generally declined to engage with Manchester United fans since acquiring the Premier League side 17 years ago in a leveraged takeover that loaded debt onto the club.
Being owned by the Glazer family has so far cost United £1.5 billion, according to Sky. They borrowed £520m to buy the club in 2005 and it has been paying the interest and other charges ever since. United were debt free before the Glazers became the club's owners.
