Malcolm Glazer, the man who bought Manchester United in 2005 and whose family continues to own the club, died Wednesday.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the NFL franchise owned by the Glazer family, said he was 85, although other reports said his 86th birthday was earlier this week.
The US billionaire had been effectively retired from public life for several years, after suffering two strokes in April 2006.
A year earlier he had acquired Manchester United, adding one of world soccer’s biggest clubs to the Buccaneers, which he bought for US$192 million in 1995 and led to victory in the 2002 Super Bowl.
In the nine years the Glazer family has owned the club, Manchester United have recorded five Premier League titles, with the club also winning the 2008 Uefa Champions League. However, following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson last year, United finished a disastrous seventh in the 2013/14 season, failing to qualify for next season’s Uefa Champions League. New manager David Moyes was dramatically sacked in April after only months in charge. He has been replaced by Dutch coach Louis van Gaal.
The Glazer ownership has been widely criticised by United fans, with the owners accused of burdening the club with millions of dollars of debt – the UK£790 million takeover was funded largely by loans secured against the Premier League club’s assets. Speaking in February, Manchester United director and club legend Sir Bobby Charlton told SoccerexPro the Glazer’s ownership was “fine”, adding: “We’re still a very stable club and it’ll continue for the foreseeable future.
“I don’t think that, overall, we won’t be really, really important for the next few years.”
United’s ownership will be unaffected by Glazer’s death. Although the Glazer family currently own 90 per cent of the club, the shares are in the names of his children, two of which, Joel and Avram, sit on the United board as co-chairmen. His other children, Bryan, Edward, Kevin and Darcie, are club directors.
The remaining 10 per cent is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
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