Elon Musk Tweets About Buying Manchester United Not A Joke For Tired Fans

Billionaire says tweet was 'long-running joke'

Article Author:

Reuters

The world's richest man, Elon Musk, on Wednesday temporarily vented depression over his United shares and fans in Manchester, the English football club. said it would acquire Later, it was all part of a "long-standing joke."

His one of the most successful football clubs in the world, the 'Red Devils', sinks to the bottom of the English Premier League. Some fans and investors are wondering if it's time for its owners, the American Glazer family, to sell.

Enter Tesla's billionaire CEO.

"To be clear, I support the left half of the Republican Party and the right half of the Democratic Party. Also, I will buy Manchester United. Regards. Please – Elon Musk,” the 51-year-old tweeted to his 103 million followers.

Some of the club's fans used to took to Twitter to urge Musk to consider buying the club, complaining about what they see as a poor investment by the Glazers. United have not won an English league title since Alex Ferguson's glory days, when he achieved his record of 20 wins in 2013. Like him on the club's main Twitter account.

But then there was an explanation.

"No, it's a running joke on Twitter. I didn't buy any sports teams." I posted it when asked if I was taking it seriously.

"he added." They were my favorite team."

The Florida-based Glazer family did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Manchester United declined to comment.

United fans were not impressed.

"This is just a tweet from someone who doesn't always think twice before writing something (sic)," said Manchester United Fanatics Club Hungary.

The Kolkata fan club added: It would have been awesome if he could have really invested a tenth of what he paid for Twitter to own this legendary club...the whole fanbase is sick and sick of the Glazers.

Still, Musk's musings ignited trading in the company's US-listed shares before the New York market opened.

Club's share price jumped about 3% above Tuesday's close to 13.20 after briefly jumping as much as 17% in early US market trading. settled near the dollar.

IRREVERENT JOKESTER

These tweets aren't the first to bring Mr. Musk into controversy.

The entrepreneur is now looking to terminate his $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter, just four months after announcing on the platform that he would acquire the social media company. and was brought to justice.

Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst at Swissquote Bank, said:

“For ManU, that means unnecessary volatility and stress in the stock price. It doesn't necessarily add value to the U."

Musk has a history of posting unconventional and irreverent messages, and sometimes you can't tell if he's joking. .

"I'm going to buy Coca-Cola next time to put the cocaine back on,"he tweeted on April 27. Two days after he accepted

Referring to this post,on Wednesday, he tweetedsuch a move. ''

Musk's tweets about a potential acquisition have landed him in a tight spot with US regulators in the past.

In 2018, he tweeted that "funding secured" for his $72 billion deal to take Tesla private, but he did not go forward with the proposal. rice field. Musk and Tesla each paid his $20 million civil fine, and Musk resigned as Tesla's chairman to settle his allegations that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) deceived investors.

The SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Musk's latest tweets, which were left messages outside of normal business hours.

Mr. Musk's ambitions range from colonizing Mars to creating a new sustainable energy economy. Along the way, he has built Tesla, the world's most valuable car company, SpaceX, a rocket company, and numerous small businesses. One is a tunnel maker called the Boring Company.

Widespread opposition

An outcry from fans calling for a change in United's ownership has led to European club competition, the most prestigious club competition in the global game. Boasting his three-time win in his cup, it's intensifying.

Britain's Daily Mirror reported last year that Glazers, who bought the club for £790m ($957m) in 2005, were preparing to sell, but that Limited to offers of £4 billion or more.

However, the Glazers have shown no interest in selling the club.

They rarely speak publicly about their ownership of the club, but following heavy criticism of their involvement in the canceled European Super League scheme, Joel Glazer addressed the club's fans in a public statement.

wrote: "My family and I care deeply for Manchester United and respect their values ​​and traditions, while at the same time defending and strengthening their strength in the long term." I want to reassure you that I feel a deep sense of responsibility.

In this year's Forbes annual rankings, United, with its huge global fan base, ranks 3rd in the world behind Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

However, the club's share price has fallen by a quarter over the past 12 months, putting it at $2 billion. The stock has risen over the past month, gaining 16% on Tuesday to close at $12.78.

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