QATARI SHEIKH AMONG MAN U BIDDERS
A Qatar-based bid for Manchester United was confirmed Friday, with Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani promising to rid the iconic soccer club of debt and return it to its former glories.
Sheikh Jassim, chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank, has submitted a 100 percent offer to buy out current owners, the Glazer family. He is the son of a former prime minister.
“The bid will be completely debt free via Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation, which will look to invest in the football teams, the training center, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the club supports,” a statement said.
It did not mention what the bid would be.
While plans to invest in the Premier League team and redevelop Old Trafford will be well received by fans, there is likely to also be opposition after Qatar was heavily criticized for its treatment of migrant workers and human rights record ahead of hosting last year’s World Cup.
Friday was the final day for serious contenders to step forward in the race to buy United. After months of speculation and soaring share prices, initial offers had to be presented to merchant bank Raine Group, which is handling the sale of one of the most famous soccer teams in the world.
By the end of the day, the Glazers might have an idea of how much they can expect to make on the club they bought for about $1.4 billion in 2005.
The price is now estimated to reach as high as $6 billion, with reported interest from Saudi Arabia seeing its value rise sharply as the deadline for bids approached.
Previously only British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS, had publicly confirmed his intention to
bid for the club he has supported from childhood. BBC Sport said it understood that Ineos had made a bid within Friday’s deadline. There was no official confirmation from Ineos.
College basketball
Jake Heidbreder scored 22 points as Air Force beat host Wyoming 75-69 in men’s action. Heidbreder made 8 of 10 from the field for the Falcons (14-14, 5-10 Mountain West). Hunter Maldonado led the way for the Cowboys (8-18, 3-11) with 22 points, seven assists, two steals and two blocks.
• Morris Udeze scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as visiting New Mexico routed San Jose State. The Lobos (17-7, 7-7 MW) snapped a four-game losing streak. Ibrahima Diallo scored 12 points for the Spartans (16-11, 7-7).
• Shaina Pellington made 11 straight shots on her way to scoring a careerhigh 35 points, leading No. 18 Arizona over No. 4 Utah 8272 in women’s basketball. Arizona broke the Utes’ seven-game winning streak and avenged an 80-79 loss in Salt
Lake City a month ago.
• Freshman Londynn Jones came off the bench to give the No. 16 UCLA women an offensive jolt, hitting 3 of 4 shots from behind the 3point arc and finished with 19 points to spark the Bruins to a 67-54 win over California.
• Richmond men’s coach Chris Mooney is stepping away from the Spiders for the remainder of the season to undergo heart surgery. Assistant coach Peter Thomas will coach the team in Mooney’s absence.
Winter sports
Marco Odermatt won the men’s giant slalom to become the first Swiss skier in 36 years to earn two gold medals at the same world championships.
Odermatt’s victory came five days after he was the surprise winner of the downhill. He matched Pirmin Zurbriggen, who won the super-G and downhill at his home world championships in Crans-Montana in 1987.
“Another perfect day for me,” said Odermatt, who had not won a medal in his eight previous world championship races.
Local colleges
Austin Smith went 4for-4 with a run and two RBIs, and Kevin Sim and
Angelo Peraza each scored a pair of runs as the University of San Diego baseball team won its season opener with a 7-3 defeat of visiting Nebraska.
• UC San Diego’s baseball team fell to Grand Canyon 12-4 in the opener of the MLB Desert Invitational.
Doyle Kane finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Jalen Smith went 2-for-5 with a double for the Tritons (0-1).
• In a morning softball doubleheader at Saint Mary’s College, UC San Diego fell to San Jose State 8-2 but bounced back to take a win over Utah State 1-0. Sophomore right-hander
Jada Cecil fanned 12 batters over seven innings of work to shut out the Aggies, allowing four hits with one walk for the Tritons (4-3).
Locally
Despite five goals from Dane Dobbie, the San Diego Seals dropped a 16-11 NLL game to the Saskatchewan Rush at Pechanga Arena.