Manchester United to list in Hong Kong

Taking advantage of the huge and profitable fan base in Asia, the Glazer family, owners of the most successful football club in England, are considering capitalising on this popularity by floating in Hong Kong. This could value the club at more than double the £790 million they paid back in 2005.

People who buy shares in football clubs tend to buy from the heart rather than the head and with ever spiralling wage bills, the returns from football clubs are not good in the long run.This is despite the various revenue streams they have developed, through shirt sales, computer game licences, and onsite conference and hospitality facilitites.

However with the lion's share of the available money taken up firstly by the players, secondly by the management and a liittle further down the line the shareholders, it might not be the profitable investment the typical Asian investor is looking for.