Wikileaks: Burma General Considered Manchester United Buyout

[Cal.]

Interesting revelation from the latest batch of cables.

Full article here

The leader of Burma's military junta considered making a $1bn (£634m) bid to buy Manchester United football club around the time it was facing rising anger from the United Nations over its "unacceptably slow" response to cyclone Nargis.Than Shwe, commander in chief of the armed forces and a fan of United, was urged to mount a takeover bid by his grandson, according to a cable from the US embassy in Rangoon. It details how the regime was thought to be using football to distract its population from ongoing political and economic problems.


The proposal was made prior to January 2009; only months earlier, in May 2008, the Burmese junta had been accused of blocking vital international aid supplies after Nargis struck, killing 140,000 people.


Than Shwe reportedly concluded that making a bid for United might "look bad" at the time, but the revelation that the proposal was even considered is likely to fuel criticism of the regime's cruelty. The senior general instead ordered the creation of a new multimillion dollar national football league at the same time as aid agencies were reporting that one year on, many survivors of the cyclone still lacked permanent housing, access to clean water, and tools for fishing and agriculture.


The mooted price tag for Manchester United was exactly the same as the aid bill to cover the most urgent food, agriculture and housing for the three years after the cyclone, as estimated by international agencies including the UN. The proposal revealed that the regime, which is increasingly exploiting its oil and gas reserves, felt confident of finding such a sum. According to Forbes magazine's valuation of the club at the time, $1bn would have been enough to acquire a 56% controlling stake.


"One well-connected source reports that the grandson wanted Than Shwe to offer $1bn for Manchester United," said the June 2009 cable to Washington. "The senior general thought that sort of expenditure could look bad, so he opted to create for Burma a league of its own."

 

[ravenie]

This WikiLeaks embarrassing a lot of people in USA apparently.

 

[Cal.]

It's embarassing a lot more than just the USA, but this topic is about the Burmese junta considering a $1b buyout of Man Utd.

 

[WonderManager]

Can Myanmar even afford and maintain Man Utd's finances?

 

[Eddie Money]

crazyness

 

[Lee]

It's embarassing a lot more than just the USA, but this topic is about the Burmese junta considering a $1b buyout of Man Utd.

To be honest if you're focusing on the fact they tried to buyout Man Utd you're missing the point of the article.

 

[oneunited]

what the...........

 

[Cal.]

To be honest if you're focusing on the fact they tried to buyout Man Utd you're missing the point of the article.

The buyout is if the reason I posted it, yes there is the terrible corruption and misuse of money and power within the junta which is more important and still on topic. Beyond the scope of the majority of posters here unfortunately. Was just trying to keep the thread away from wikileaks in general.

 

[GodCubed]

I'm half-Burmese. Bastards having money to burn whilst people are starving. It's lucky my relatives have strong links with the Burmese army, otherwise they'd be starving too. $1 billion dollars... makes me sick to my back teeth.

 

[Alcaraz]

I heard kinda disgusting considering so many people died during Cyclone Nargis and all they want to do is to buy a football club

 

[Mike.]

I heard kinda disgusting considering so many people died during Cyclone Nargis and all they want to do is to buy a football club

the whole point was to deflect the news away from cyclone nargis and their poor handling of it

 

[GodCubed]

I want to visit Burma, but I have sworn never to visit until the junta are out. All I would be doing is lining their pockets... thank God Aung San Suu Kyi was released, if anyone can do anything it will be her.

 

[Shahzal]

It would be good if they had bought united , so we could finnaly get rid of the glazzers brazers.

 

[WonderManager]

I heard kinda disgusting considering so many people died during Cyclone Nargis and all they want to do is to buy a football club

I heard that Burma is one of the most corrupted countries in the world, of course they have the money to buy Man Utd.

 

[CtPauley]

pretty disgusting that they want to buy us despite all the troubles in their country. Would rather have the glazers but tbh if what the glazers have said are true then $1bn would never be enough to buy man utd. They should use that money on burma not buying football clubs

 

[Niall]

Knowing the Premier Legaue he would probably have passed the fit and proper persons' test anyway.

 

[Montanaro]

This WikiLeaks embarrassing a lot of people in USA apparently.

What does that have to do with the topic at hand? You often struggle keeping with your focus.

I lolled that the General's grandson wanted to buy Manchester U as a playtoy. Ha, spoiled brat, but the general knew better. Their own league is a fairly good idea, but for 1 billion you'd think they could have directly helped their citizens with it.