Manchester United bidder who withdrew offer now facing arrest in Singapore

The Singapore Police Force have issued an arrest warrant against former Manchester United bidder Thomas Zilliacus.

The Finnish businessman launched a campaign, which was more of a publicity stunt, to rival Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim of Qatar (?) during last year’s dragged out takeover saga.

Zilliacus, 67, knew that by throwing his head into the mix that there would be lots of publicity. He still tried to convince people that he was serious, while accusing the Glazer family showing no respect for the football club.

I have declined participation in a third bidding round for United. The bidding is turning into a farce, with Glazers giving no respect to the club. The delays will make it very difficult for any new owner to build a winning team for next season.

— Thomas Zilliacus (@TZilliacus) April 12, 2023

Now, the week that Ratcliffe becomes co-owner, Zilliacus finds himself the subject of an arrest warrant in Singapore, as per Bloomberg.

Zilliacus is believed to be wanted over his alleged involvement in the release of misleading statements by YuuZoo, a company he previously headed.

“Upon investigation, several such financial reports released by YuuZoo between 2015 and 2016 were alleged to be materially misleading in that they overstated YuuZoo’s revenue by US$4.6 million (£3.6m) to US$18.8 million (£14.8m),” the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a statement.

There was always something a bit Michael Knighton about Zilliacus.

Subscribe to the Stretty News podcast Strettycast for weekly episodes on Manchester United. You can also sign up to the ad-free Stretty Newsletter. Get the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.