Xavi says Sheikh Jassim takeover will be beneficial for Man United

Xavi, the coach of Barcelona, has expressed his belief that a Manchester United takeover by a group led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar would be beneficial for the Premier League team.

Xavi made this statement ahead of Barcelona’s game at Old Trafford on Thursday, citing his experience of living in Qatar and his personal relationship with Sheikh Jassim, who is the chairman of one of the Gulf state’s largest banks and the son of a former prime minister.

The Qatar bid is one of two that has been publicly confirmed before the soft deadline set by Raine, the investment bank overseeing the process.

The other bid is from petrochemicals company INEOS, founded and majority-owned by Manchester-born billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

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Sheikh Jassim’s bid has been criticised for Qatar’s record on human rights and the illegality of homosexuality in the country.

Nevertheless, Xavi, who played for Qatari team Al Sadd for four years and managed the club for another two, has expressed his support, stating that he has a good relationship with the Sheikh and believes he is a serious and responsible person who would do a good job.

“I have a good relationship with the Sheikh. He is a serious, responsible person and I think he would do a good job,” Xavi explained to the media on Wednesday.

“I know him well. He’s a very good person and I think he would be a very good option for United. I worked in Qatar for six years.”