A few days ago, a racehorse named Rock of Gibraltar died of heart failure at the age of 23.
What's so special about this batch of horses? It won 7 consecutive international first-class tournaments, setting a world record for that era. It is precisely because of this batch of horses that the Glazer family has the opportunity to acquire Manchester United in a subtle way.
Gibraltberg was born in 1999, which was undoubtedly a good year for Manchester United as the team won the treble and made English football history. Influenced by his father, horse racing has been Sir Alex Ferguson's hobby, and he soon discovered the potential of "Mount Gibral".
The horses belonged to the Cormore stallion base owned by Irish businessman Magnier and McManus, who were also shareholders of Manchester United. In 2001, Ferguson had a small talk with the two. They gave Ferguson ownership of the horse, or at least part of it, making him co-owner with Magnier's wife, Susan.
As "Mount Gibral" continues to win the crown in the event, its value continues to soar. In 2002, it was voted European Horse Racing of the Year. At the end of the season, it was officially retired as a stallion (a stallion with excellent genes used to breed mares).
That's when Sir Alex Ferguson decided to cash in on his ownership, and that's when problems began to erupt. Ferguson believes he owns half of the horse and therefore deserves half of the stallion's revenue. But the cunning Magnier said they only promised Ferguson 5%.
So Ferguson decided to file a lawsuit against Magnier. So how did the latter respond? The Colmore Stallion Base first issued a statement saying Ferguson's lawsuit had no legal basis and would defend it vigorously. After that, Magnier and McManus' joint venture will raise its stake in Manchester United to 28.7%. It was an important move as they became United's largest shareholder and therefore Ferguson's boss.
At the club's board meeting in 2004, Magnier laid out a list of 99 questions about how United was run, involving 13 transfer deals, including those of Cristiano Ronaldo and Stam, and Ferguson's son Jason's role at the club was also questioned.
Manchester United captain Roy Keane advised Ferguson not to be an enemy of Magnier, writing in his autobiography The Second Half: "A friend of mine in Ireland asked me to tell Ferguson that he had no chance of winning this lawsuit, and I told him that it was completely useless for him to be hostile to the club's senior management. To be honest, I feel like they just see Ferguson as a mascot around Mount Gibbro, and the horses don't really belong to him. ”
In the end, Ferguson chose to settle with Magnier and accepted a one-time compensation of £2.5 million. But this amount is much less than the value of the horse itself, because its genes have bred multiple championship racehorses, winning 77 championships.
The Glazer family, across the ocean, has been spying on all this, and if they take 28.7% of Magniel and McManus, he can become the head of Old Trafford. For Magniel and McManus, the settlement of the dispute with Ferguson has regained their own interests, and United's stake is not an unshakable asset.
In May 2005, the Glazer family bought the 28.7% stake at a price of £3 per share. This is equivalent to Magnier and McManus cashing out £70 million each from Manchester United in just a few years. A month later, Glazer went on to raise money to buy shares from other United shareholders, eventually reaching 98 per cent. The darkest moment in the eyes of Manchester United fans begins.
Ferguson later mentioned this story of "Mount Gibral" briefly in his autobiography: "It was an amazing racehorse, the first horse in the Northern Hemisphere to win seven consecutive international first-class races." According to my agreement with the Colmore Stallion Base, it entered in my name. My understanding is that I own half of the ownership of the horse; But their understanding is that I will be entitled to half of the prize. ”
"But it's over, we settled, agreed there was a misunderstanding between the two sides, and then the matter was over. Obviously there was a potential conflict between my horse racing interests and the ownership of the club, and I was embarrassed when one stood up at a shareholders' meeting and insisted that I resign. ”
"I would say that at no time did I deviate from my duties as Manchester United manager. This turmoil did not affect my love of horse racing, and now I also have a good relationship with Magnier. ”
This makes people wonder what Manchester United would be like after this storm without this turmoil?
The reality is now that the Glazer family has always treated Manchester United as their cash cow, and fans are heartbroken. At the sporting level, Manchester United have not won any titles in five years.