01 April 2023 , 09:24
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Thomas Zilliacus was 11 years old when he watched Denis Law and Bobby Charlton in the flesh for the first time - and instantly fell in love with Manchester United.
Now, almost 58 years after seeing Matt Busby’s team prevail 3-2 in a European Cup tie at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium, the Finnish entrepreneur has a vision for the Reds that would have blown the imagination of the backstreet butcher who owned United back in the day. Zilliacus has spent a lifetime earning his fortune at the frontier of communications technology.
Now he wants to buy United from the Glazer family, the six absent American siblings who need a security detail just to visit Old Trafford such is the depth of fury about their 18-year reign.
Zilliacus will offer those same supporters the opportunity to buy shares in the club. For the millions of Red Army foot soldiers around the world who have never been to Old Trafford in their lives, there is the promise of a Virtual Reality programme that would give them an access-all-areas passport.
Zilliacus accepts he’s an outsider in a process which has seen Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani both post bids that don’t meet the Glazers’ £6 billion valuation. But when it comes to bringing something new to the table, he may be out on his own.
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“All my life I have formulated ideas that have been met with scepticism,” said Zilliacus. “Around 2003, when I met with a company to talk about the future of mobile phones, I told them that pretty soon the world will be watching movies and TV programmes on their devices.
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Thomas Zilliacus wants fans to feel closer to Man Utd using technology (Bloomberg via Getty Images)“Their reaction was ‘this guy is crazy’ - and that’s why I understand people being sceptical about my plans for Manchester United. For example, I know from my time working in Asia that United have a huge following in that part of the world.
“I come from a technological background and have built up several companies that have produced cutting edge solutions for mobile phones, laptops and online.
“I have already spoken to my tech team about United - and there are so many new and exciting possibilities that would open the club up to supporters in Singapore or Nigeria or the United States.
“They would participate in a fan experience like no other. It would be like they are actually inside Old Trafford or watching the squad train. They would be able to interact with the players.
“If you have half-a-billion fans and you charge them $3 dollars for an annual subscription, that equates to $1.5 billion that would go straight into the club.
“I’m not an Arab Sheikh, nor am I the richest man in the UK, but I am an expert in my chosen field and I understand the possibilities. And that is just one idea I have.”
Zilliacus, 69, is also serious about giving the 75,000 fans who regularly make the pilgrimage to Old Trafford from nearby Sale, Salford and Stockport a voice after years of protesting about the way the Glazers have pillaged the club’s finances while presiding over a barren decade on the pitch.
Thomas Zilliacus is battling with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani to buy Man Utd (May Tse/South China Morning Post via Getty Images)“My bid for the club doesn’t involve fans buying shares to help me finance the deal,” he said. “First of all, I will buy the club with the help of other interested investors and the next step would be to offer shares to supporters.
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“I want to get to a stage when the fans own 49 percent of the club and will have a voice in the way we operate. Let me clarify, the fans won’t decide which players get picked every Saturday, but they will be involved in the more philosophical policies.
“I won’t be shy about my aspirations. It is my intention to run the club in a profitable way. But it is only right that the supporters have an influence on how the club’s money is spent.
“Are dividends paid out to shareholders? Should the money be used for play acquisitions or to upgrade the stadium? The executives who run the club would never make a decision that goes against what the majority of the fans want.”