The takeover process at Old Trafford has been labelled a “dirty derby”. Greenpeace have taken aim at the battle between Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.
There are non-football concerns regarding both bidders. And Areeba Hamid, Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director, has outlined them to the Mirror.
She said: “It’s worrying that the Man Utd bidding process has turned into a dirty derby between entities linked to fossil fuels. Kicked out of museums and art galleries, oil and gas is now invading the world of sport desperately looking for popular brands behind which to hide its climate-wrecking business. The Qatari Islamic Bank gets some of its revenues from oil and gas.
“INEOS is a major producer of plastic, toxic pesticides and fossil fuels, as well as one of the UK’s leading fracking firms. Having already plastered its brand all over cycling, sailing, football, running and rugby, INEOS is the undisputed champion of sports washing. Whichever way this derby goes, the winner won’t be the climate.”