Musk gives Manchester United fans hope
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has vowed to buy the UK’s Manchester United football club, kicking off a storm of speculation on social media as observers asked whether the pledge was sincere.
After tweeting what appeared to be a political joke about his support for “left half of the Republican Party and the right half of the Democratic Party” on Tuesday night, Musk added nonchalantly that he would buy up the world-famous football club.
“Also, I’m buying Manchester United ur [sic] welcome,” he said, offering no elaboration.
The comment quickly sent waves through Twitter, with some users asking whether Musk was serious, while others all but begged the businessman to purchase the team, which has seen a shaky performance so far this season and is currently dead-last on the Premier League leaderboard. Some bashed ManU as a “joke,” however, and critics told Musk the investment would be a poor one.
Also, I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2022
A well-followed Manchester fan account also warned that Musk had made a “legally binding” commitment to buy the club with his tweet, joking that he would be forced to do so under a recently passed bill in the US.
Elon this is a legally binding intent to purchase, it’s a new law in the inflation reduction act.
— UnitedMuppetiers (@Muppetiers) August 17, 2022
The tweet about Manchester is not the first time Musk has hinted at purchasing a major business concern somewhat at random, previously joking that he would like to buy Coca-Cola in order to “put the cocaine back in.” The quips appear to be linked to the CEO’s efforts to purchase Twitter for $41 billion, which have encountered obstacles and all but fizzled amid a dispute over the number of ‘bot’ accounts on the platform.
However, by the early hours of Wednesday morning, Musk revealed the post was a gag, telling one user he was playing into a “long-running joke on Twitter” while clarifying “I’m not buying any sports teams.” He went further, adding that he also has no intention to “put the cocaine back” into Coke, “despite the extreme popularity of such a move.”
According to Forbes, Manchester United has an estimated value of some $4.6 billion and is a publicly traded company, currently owned by American business mogul Malcolm Glazer. That means Musk – among the world’s richest men – is likely to have the funds needed should he change his mind about the club.
