Thomas Zilliacus admits that he does not have the wealth of Sheikh Jassim but the Finnish entrepreneur insists that his bid to buy Manchester United is “serious and credible.”
In an exclusive interview with Mirror Football , the former Nokia executive has further outlined his fan-led vision for the club post-Glazers amid a warning that a bidding war will give the incumbents exactly what they desire.
"I'm not as wealthy as Sheikh Jassim or Sir Jim Ratcliffe but I'm wealthy enough to place a serious and credible bid,” the 69-year-old said. “It’s not with my own money only but together with other parties, other investors, who would like to join me. If we don't reach the total number then maybe with money from third parties. I believe we can do it by bringing fans together and not bringing in any external financing.”
Zilliacus is proposing a model where supporters all chip in a small fee for a 50/50 stake alongside him - though he has also informed Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he would be keen on owning a third of the club alongside them.
He added: “In Scandinavia most clubs are majority owned by fans. I really would like to reverse in a way the development taking place in the Premier League.
“I’ve been looking for a long time at how clubs are owned in Europe and it’s not to my liking. Nothing against people from other parts of the world but many of these recent acquisitions have been made in a way where it’s like buying a luxury yacht or estate instead of a football club and the owners have forgotten about fans.
“They don't understand the tradition or history of football like we do having grown up here. So I decided to put in a bid where I would involve fans on equal footing. It’s not about getting them to put up money - money is available in this world for good projects - but to make them feel part of the club in a genuine way and they are also there for the decision-making."
Zilliacus claims to be a “lifelong fan” of the club having seen them face his hometown team HJK Helsinki, whom he went on to play underage with before becoming chairman, in 1965. He remembers being dazzled by Dennis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton in a game United won 3-2 and the interest has been present since then.
Despite that, he claims that he did not know about the club being up for sale until the start of this week - leading to a hasty offer made before Wednesday’s 9pm deadline, which ended up being moved by the bank overseeing the process because neither Sheikh Jassim nor Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s updated submissions had landed.
“I saw Manchester United as a young boy against HJK and fell in love with the team and I admired the players when I was young,” Zilliacus said before detailing how he recognised the club’s global attraction when he moved to Singapore to head up Nokia’s Asian market.
“In Asia I realised how big a brand it is out there. Recently I’ve been focusing my time more in Europe and looking at investment opportunities here. I’ve been looking at Italian clubs primarily.
“I missed the story initially when the club was up for sale but only saw the news at the start of the week when I realised the deadline was this Wednesday for bids. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest in a club I’ve always loved and is by far the biggest football brand in the world.”
Raine Group made him sign a non-disclosure agreement on Wednesday before accepting his offer but he admits to being at a disadvantage due to his late arrival denying him an opportunity to examine financial details available to other interested parties.
But he says the reaction from fans has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I’ve had a lot of feedback from supporters. I come from a culture where we’re very open in our belief that talking is the best way to achieve good results. Fans have been able to call me, both individuals and fan clubs.
"They’ve voiced support and I’m happy for that. I genuinely want fans to be involved in great detail. Fans have not been happy with how things have been managed at the club and I want to change that.”
