It has been reported that the Glazer family, the besieged Manchester United owners, are in talks with US firm Apollo to sell a minority stake of the club.
As reported in the Daily Mail, The Glazer family have entered into exclusive talks with the private equity company but insist Joel and Avram Glazer are not prepared to cede control of the club and will maintain their shares.
Other Glazer family members are believed to be wanting out and are willing to sell their stake to Apollo.
On the surface this looks to be a move which could eventually lead to the Glazers selling more shares and thus reducing their influence at the club which is what majority, if not all, United fans want. The reality however, is unfortunately slightly different and makes for shocking reading.
Apollo, the company who wants to purchase the stake, is a private equity company, which buys shares in businesses and expects a profit in return by either selling these shares or taking out dividends at a later date.
This in itself could lead to issues later down the line. If a majority buyer did come in for United you can be sure Apollo would want a healthy return on any investments, leading to a potentially inflated price. This may put potential buyers off completely.
Things get worse, Apollo as a company have a history of accusations of fraud and scams, something picked up by anti Glazer movement ‘BoycottGlazers’ on Twitter. What’s even more sinister and disgusting, Apollo seems to still have ties to its founder, Leon Black.
Apollo Global Management money was used by its founder to support Epstein’s sexual predation.@apolloglobal founder Leo Black is also being investigated for sexual assault & rape.
The company itself has a dark history involving fraud & scams.#NoToApollo
Get it trending. pic.twitter.com/CxJWlGHitw
— Boycott Movement Against the Glazers (@BoycottGlazers) August 18, 2022
This is a man who has a history of allegations of sexual assault, rape and was very much among convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein’s circle of friends. This is a fact not lost on Manchester United fans, with a tweet again from BoycottGlazers stating ‘Apollo Global Management Money was used by its founder to support Epstiens sexual predation. Leo Black is also being investigated for sexual assault and rape.’
And it would appear the founder of @apolloglobal has form.
Not only was he friends with Epstein, not only did he go to his island, not only did he bankroll his sexual predation. He’s also being investigated for rape & sexual assault.#ApolloKnewhttps://t.co/G3efEpQ2Oi
— Boycott Movement Against the Glazers (@BoycottGlazers) August 17, 2022
Black has since stepped down as chief executive of Apollo due to a court case in which he failed in his effort to prove that an ex fashion model conspired to publicise made up sexual abuse allegations, along with another court case which proved he had paid Jeffery Epstein $158million for financial advice.
Whilst Mr Black is no longer on the board at Apollo, he is both the founder and still the main shareholder at the company, so the ties still linger.
There is due to be a protest against the American owners before the game at Liverpool on Monday, maybe along with anti Glazer chants they can throw the name of Leon Black and Apollo into the mix. United fans may not want the Glazers, but they certainly do not want to be associated with investment firms and individuals with a history as chequered and despicable as those.
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