Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham: 'No one feels completely comfortable with Qatar's takeover of Manchester United'

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is concerned about Sheik Jassim's possible purchase of Manchester United. Photo: Paul Cooper for The Telegraph

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, says he doesn't think anyone is «completely comfortable» with the idea of ​​buying United by Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Hamad bin Al Thani.

p>

United fans are waiting to see if the Glazers will actually sell to Sheikh Jassim or British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe or refuse to sell. But Burnham acknowledged that the human rights situation in Qatar would cause problems if Jassim's bid was successful.

“These are questions that everyone has to deal with in the era of the Premier League,” he said on Global’s The News Agents podcast. “I don't think anyone is completely comfortable with this and I'm going to be very clear about it. But has the Premier League kind of moved into a state where all the money is clean at any Premier League club? There are associations with regimes all over the world. That's how it is now, isn't it?»

Come together

On Friday night, Erik ten Hag hosted a team dinner for Manchester United players and staff in San Diego.

Some employees planned to go to Petco Park to watch the San Diego Padres baseball team play the Texas Rangers.

But the United manager expects all staff to attend such club events in his quest for rallying, and this is not an event anyone would want to miss.

Later in the evening, some of the United staff went to the baseball game. The Padres defeated the Rangers 7-1. MUTV pundit and former United striker Danny Webber was among those in attendance.

Henderson Hitch

Nottingham Forest's talks with United over a loan deal to buy goalkeeper Dean Henderson are complicated by the terms of a turnout clause. The clubs have yet to agree on the number of games it will take to activate the purchase obligation. Forest are hoping it will be set at 30 games, but United want the clause to kick in after about five games. An agreement has also yet to be reached on exactly how much Forest will have to pay to sign Henderson permanently.

A familiar face

Marcel Sabitzer could play against United at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday evening local time. time. The Austrian midfielder spent last season on loan at Old Trafford from Bayern Munich but has since moved to Borussia Dortmund on a four-year deal, rivals United in Sin City this weekend.

< img src="/wp-content/uploads /2023/07/0a055efde7f0ced0f3440f0e50c3cf7c.jpg" /> Borussia Dortmund's newest player Marcel Sabitzer will have an instant reunion with his old United teammates on Sunday night.

United's game against Dortmund is likely to draw a lot of spectators at the Allegiant Stadium, but there is little doubt that a major sporting draw will take place in Las Vegas this weekend. Terence Crawford's fight with Errol Spence Jr. for the undisputed world welterweight title is one of the most anticipated boxing fights in recent years.