Kieran Maguire shares view on new Man United ownership model suggested by CEO – ‘there are big flaws’
A fan ownership model at Man United would have major flaws when it comes to sourcing funds and covering costs.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the issues with fan ownership in football.
In an exclusive interview with Football Insider, f2o CEO Wolfgang Muller and social entrepreneur Stephen Bediako OBE claimed that the Red Devils are better suited to their fan ownership model than under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The British billionaire is set to take sporting control at Old Trafford after agreeing a deal with the Glazer family to buy a 25 percent stake.
The deal will be worth around £1.3billion once completed, according to Sky Sports.
In contrast, f2o’s ownership model allows fans to buy stakes in their football club and vote democratically on decisions made behind the scenes.
Maguire believes fan ownership sounds good on paper but has some major flaws when put into practice.
“A fan-owned club model looks great on paper, but less-so in reality,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“If we take a look at how fan-owned clubs work, having a democracy is great but when it comes to funding everybody would rather someone else cover it.
“Clubs such as Portsmouth and Wrexham were once fan-owned before taking offers from elsewhere.
“If you’re trying to sign a £100million player which is owned by many fans – where will the money come from?
“Or at a club like Chelsea where they have lost £1.5billion over the past 18 years or so, there are big flaws.
“It sounds a lot better than it is in practice, and ultimately would fans be better at making decisions than executives at the club?
“When directed at Manchester United, the answer could be yes but other clubs such as Brighton, Brentford and Manchester City are delighted with their owners.“
In other news, Man United fans will be cheering on Liverpool after £30m+ reveal, says Kieran Maguire