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Hoeness launches scathing attack on Glazers

The Glazers have come in for further criticism © PA Photos

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Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has delivered a scathing attack of the Glazers' ownership of Manchester United.

Hoeness, a high-profile name within German football and an influential figure across the European game, has criticised the Glazers for heaping debt on the Premier League in the process of taking ownership, in what he believes was a clear indication they were only ever looking to make money from the club.

The Americans borrowed around £540 million in 2005 to purchase United, subsequently putting the majority of that debt back onto the club in the form of high-interest loans. Hoeness said he would have respected the Glazers' running of the club if they had bought it outright, but feels the current financial arrangements are unacceptable.

"Before Mr Glazer bought Manchester United, he didn't know there was air in the ball. That's not something that I accept. His target is making money," Hoeness told Bloomberg. "I would accept Mr Glazer immediately if he says 'OK, the price of Manchester United is £800 million. That's my money, my risk and now we are working.'

"But what did he do? He bought the club and said 'OK, I don't have the money. How can we finance it?'

"That's something that I never accept."

United, however, played down Hoeness' comments, saying the club is progressing well both on and off the pitch.

"Mr Hoeness has a right to an opinion, but results over the last seven years speak for themselves and Manchester United is in a healthy position, both on and off the pitch," a United spokesman said.

"The Glazer family have been integral in boosting of the club's revenues, which have seen Manchester United become world leaders in the breadth and depth of our commercial partnerships."

Hoeness also had his say on clubs that have wealthy benefactors, most notably Champions League group stage opponents Manchester City - who are owned by Sheikh Mansour. Hoeness noted that such arrangements - as with Roman Abramovich at Chelsea - leave the club at risk of their owner growing bored of the club and withdrawing finance - although he insisted that such a situation is still marginally preferrable to the one United have in place.

"In this moment, will he [the wealthy owner] one day say now I go on my ships and I buy pictures and so on?," Hoeness noted. "But if you say which option [Glazers or billionaire owner] you want to have, I would say I take the guy from Abu Dhabi."

Bayern Munich are one of the primary advocates of UEFA's forthcoming Financial Fair Play rules. The club's chief executive, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, insists the new regulations must be strongly enforced when they are introduced in 2015.

"It's time to finalise everything because clubs must know what is happening in case they break the rules," Rummenigge said.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.