Man Utd insider lifts lid on Sheikh Jassim after Sir Jim Ratcliffe didn't think he existed

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani was Sir Jim Ratcliffe's main rival in the race to buy at least some of Manchester United, yet the Qatari banker remains an elusive figure

The man who oversaw Manchester United's drawn-out sale process has revealed that Sheikh Jassim is indeed real - contrary to Sir Jim Ratcliffe's belief.

Full name Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank was in the running to buy United after the Glazer family opened themselves up to offers in November 2022. But barring a handful of images and tidbits of information which drizzled out throughout the 14-month saga, we were told very little about him.

When INEOS chairman Ratcliffe finally completed his £1.3billion deal to acquire a 27.7 per cent stake in the club last month, he joked: "Still nobody's ever seen him, actually. The Glazers never met him.... he never... I'm not sure he exists!"

Joe Ravitch, however, certainly has met the Sheikh and given a glowing review of his personality. Ravitch is a co-founder and partner of Raine Group, the merchant bank given the task of negotiating with interested parties for the Glazers. In an interview with The Times, he revealed: "We met Jassim. He was in New York. He's a lovely guy; a very smart guy.

"The Qataris were very real. They were very smart guys, very thoughtful. I don't know why they didn't appreciate the value [of the club] but we were not their adviser. We tried as the seller to explain the value to them, and they put what they thought was a series of very serious bids on the table.

Ravitch then explained why the Qatari bid - which was for 100 per cent of the club - fell short, as United were valued "around $6.5bn [£5bn]". He added: "I think the Qataris got to about $5.75bn.

"We said to them, 'You're within 10 per cent, why don't you get in a room and try to get to a deal?' But they said no. I think they were very conscious of criticism if they were seen to be overpaying."

Your turn! Would the Qataris have been better owners for Manchester United? Join the debate in the comments section.

Sheikh Jassim reportedly believed that he'd have been a 'dream owner' for United but withdrew from the race last October after the Glazers rejected his final bid. Unlike Ratcliffe and his fellow INEOS chiefs, the son of former Qatari prime minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani notably didn't attend face-to-face talks with United last March, instead sending a delegation.

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