'I'm not sure he exists': Sir Jim Ratcliffe brutally trolls fellow Manchester United bidder Sheikh Jassim

Jim Ratcliffe has continued his media charm offensive by leaving one of his fellow Manchester United bidders in the mud.

The Monaco-based billionaire spoke to the press a day after his club co-ownership in the process of being finalized.

He ManchesterThe Ineos-born CEO has been outlining his vision for the club and Old Trafford has finally got his feet in the door.

The agreement marks the end of an incredibly long process, which began in November 2022 when the Glazer family announced they would “explore strategic alternatives” for club ownership.

Ratcliffe declared his interest early on, having previously been linked with his boyhood club, but in February 2023 he faced competition.

A statement was issued on behalf of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Jaber Al Thani, declaring a £4.5bn bid from Qatar.

Little was known about him at the time, and the scramble to learn more resulted in many confusing him with his father, Hamad Bin-Jaber al-Thani, who was previously prime minister of Qatar.

Sheikh Jassim, however, sits on the board of directors of Qatar Investment Bank and his online profile says he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom.

Other than that, there's little information about him, something many fans picked up on, and it turns out Ratcliffe did too.

“Actually, no one has seen it yet,” he said. “The Glazers never met him. He never… I'm not sure he exists!

2

Ratcliffe remains a minority owner of Man United, with a 27.7 per cent stake, which will rise to 28.9 per cent of the club, although he will look after football matters at Old Trafford.

He is currently embroiled in a saga over the employment of a sporting director at Man United in the hope of luring Dan Ashworth away from Newcastle.

Ashworth is interested in the move but Newcastle have given him gardening leave which will last for another year unless the two clubs can agree a deal that will allow him to start life at Man United early.

Of the Ashworth back-and-forth, Ratcliffe said: “I think Dan Ashworth is clearly one of the best sporting directors in the world. “I have no doubt he is a very, very capable person.

“And he is interested in the Manchester United job because it is probably the biggest sporting director job in the world at the moment, and with the biggest challenge.

“It would be different if you were sporting director at Manchester City, because you simply maintain the level. With Manchester United you have quite an important construction job.

“I think he would be a very good addition to Manchester United, but he needs to decide if he is going to make that leap.

“We've obviously had words with Newcastle. They would clearly be disappointed to lose Dan. “I understand why they would be disappointed to lose Dan, but you can't equally criticize Dan because it's a transient industry.

“So we'll have to see how it plays out.”