Man Utd bidder wanted by police in Singapore after international arrest warrant issued

One of the bidders to buy Manchester United who lost out to Sir Jim Ratcliffe is wanted by police in Singapore after an international arrest warrant was issued.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe officially completed his minority takeover of Man United earlier this year after a draw-out bidding process.

The INEOS chairman's main rival in the process was Sheikh Jassim, although in March 2023 another unknown bidder emerged.

Thomas Zilliacus launched an ambitious bid to buy United, announcing that his firm XXI Century Capital would stump up half of the $3.9 billion fee he proposed.

The 69-year-old Finnish businessman wanted United fans to finance the other half, giving making the supporter base part-owners of the Premier League giants.

He later clarified that he would pay the full fee, and fans would be able to buy shares at a later date.

Despite the attraction of his idea, Zilliacus fell out of the race after just three weeks when he refused to participate in a third round of bidding.

Now, after making bids to buy Italian giants Inter Milan, Zilliacus is wanted by police in Singapore.

As reported by The Athletic, the arrest warrant relates to the affairs of YuuZoo, a company he co-founded and was previously chief-executive of.

The Singapore Police Force claim Zilliacus has refused to return to the country, so have issued an INTERPOL red notice against him. He denies the allegations.

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The Athletic also revealed that Zilliacus was among a cast of defendants accused in a New York lawsuit of federal securities fraud.

The case did not go to trial because the defendant settled a six-figure sum out of court.

When he announced his intention to buy United, Zilliacus released a statement that read: "The current development, where billionaire sheiks and oligarchs take over clubs and control them as their personal playgrounds, is not a healthy trend.

"We will ask the fans, through a new company being set up for this purpose, to participate. If every fan joins it means less than $3 per fan.

"Each fan who joins will have access to an app, which the fan, from anywhere in the world, can use to participate and cast his vote when deciding on footballing matters relating to the club.

"No decisions will be taken that are not supported by a majority of the fanbase."

Topics: Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Premier League, Football

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton