Who are the Glazers? All about Manchester United's owners, who may now buy an IPL team

The Glazers are an American family that is best known for owning NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Premier League outfit Manchester United. Joel Glazer's late father Malcolm Glazer acquired the Premier League outfit in 2005.

Since the acquisition of the English football club - then the highest-valued and most profitable in the world - took place in a leveraged buyout saddling it with debt, Red Devils fans have given a mixed reception to them. 'Love United Hate Glazers' became an ever-present chant during subsequent years, and though nothing as adverse as once imagined has come to pass, their relationship with the Old Trafford faithful remains strained. However, Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United's legendary manager, maintains that they never interfered with his running of the club. 

Now, it emerges that the Glazers may be interested in bidding for an IPL franchise. So what should an IPL fan expect from a Glazer-owned franchise? Here is a detailed look at who the Glazers are and their business interests, which may shed some light.

Who are the Glazers? How did they grow their business empire?

Manchester United is currently owned by the six children of the late Malcolm Glazer: Avram, Joel, Kevin, Bryan, Darcie and Edward Glazer. Malcolm acquired a majority stake in the company in 2005 via his investment company Red Football Ltd. After he passed away in May 2014 following a long illness, the 90% stake he acquired was split equally between the six children.

The Glazer family gained their wealth due to interests in property and real estate, after which they also transitioned into sports. Malcolm Glazer had begun supporting his family by selling watches after his father died when he was a teenager. He then bought a watch repair business and converted it to a successful venture before transitioning into real estate.

The senior Glazer then also expanded his interests to banks, healthcare facilities, television stations, among others. Meanwhile, the family's first interests in sports began when they bought top NFL side Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995 for a then-record of $192 million (£122m). The team is currently run by Joel, Bryan and Edward, and has seen some amount of success since the purchase, winning 2 Superbowls.

How did the Glazer family take over Manchester United?

Malcolm Glazer began accumulating shares of Manchester United in 2003 after his sons advised him to do so. By the end of 2005, he had taken full ownership of the club, at a time when the club's biggest shareholders - an Irish duo JP McManus and John Magnier - were locked in a lawsuit with Alex Ferguson over the ownership of a prized racehorse by the name of 'Rock Of Gibraltar', leading fans to fear that a possible purchase of the club could end in the Scottish manager's departure. Malcolm bought a 2.9% stake for £9m ($4.7m) in March 2003, and by the end of the following year, his stake had increased to 30%. By the end of 2005, the Glazers, via their investment company Red Football Ltd, had acquired all the shares of Manchester United and were also able to delist the company from the stock exchange successfully.

Glazer family keen on bidding for new IPL team

Agencies have confirmed news that the Glazer family is interested in purchasing a franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 season. A source told ANI, "Well yes, it is true that they have shown interest and that may be one of the reasons why the dateline was extended by the BCCI. IPL is not just restricted to India, it is a global entity now."