A Qatar media outlet has backtracked on claims Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has won the race to buy Manchester United.
Reports emerged on Monday evening that Sheikh Jassim's final offer, submitted last week for 100 per cent of the club, had beaten a rival offer from Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Qatari newspaper Al-Watan erroneously claimed an official announcement was imminent, prompting the club's stock price to soar.
However, on Wednesday, Al-Watan editorial director Fahed al Emadi moved to clarify the reporting.
For more clarification "Contrary to certain media and social media reports overnight, Al Watan is not owned by Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, and Al Watan's media report yesterday speculating about possible movement in the Manchester United takeover process was based on…
— فهد العمادي (@fahedalemadi) June 13, 2023
He tweeted: "Contrary to certain media and social media reports overnight, Al Watan is not owned by Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, and Al Watan's media report yesterday speculating about possible movement in the Manchester United takeover process was based on international media reports, as stated in the article itself, and with such news widely circulating periodically in international media for many months."
The Athletic researched the "international media reports" and claim the origin of Al-Watan's false reporting was from a Wales-based Twitter feed titled '2SportTV' which currently boasts less than 300 followers.
Sheikh Jassim lodged a fifth, and supposedly final, offer last week and insisted he would withdraw from the race should he not receive a response by last Friday.
