Elon Musk Clarifies He Is Not Buying English Football Club, Manchester United

Updated on August 17, 2022 16:22 PM by Andrew Koschiev

Tesla owner has once again created chaos and commotion on the internet with his unconventional tweets.

ALSO READ: What if the Twitter acquisition fails? Elon Musk's plan for a new social media platform

On Tuesday, the world's richest man, Elon Musk, tweeted that he was buying the Manchester United soccer club.

Once again, it's a joke

"Also, I'm buying Manchester United ur welcome," the SpaceX founder told his 103 million followers on Twitter without offering any information. Hours later, after several news articles were published about his bold claim, Elon Musk clarified that it was all a joke.

ALSO READ: Elon Musk Sells More Tesla Stock Before Solving Self-Driving

"No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I'm not buying any sports teams," he said after a user asked him if he was serious about the purchase. Asked about the billionaire's tweet, the Manchester United spokesperson told CNN Business, "we do not comment on rumors and speculation."

Manchester United (MANU)

As per Forbes, Manchester United is worth $4.6 billion. Controlled by the Glazer family, which also owns the NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Manchester United is one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world. Still, it hasn't won the English Premier League title since 2013.

In his 13 years on Twitter, the platform has become an important part of Musk's brand. It's where he communicates about his business ventures, lashes out at people he views as detractors, makes market-moving commentary about cryptocurrencies, and shares the occasional meme. He even quipped in a 2019 tweet: "Some people use their hair to express themselves, I use Twitter."

However, Musk's tweets about Tesla have landed him in hot water multiple times with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. His feud with the SEC dates back to his now-infamous 2018 tweet stating, "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured."

Elon Musk's infamous tweet

The nine-word tweet sent Tesla stock surging at the time, but the SEC then accused him of misleading investors. Musk and regulators ultimately reached a deal that included, among other provisions, a requirement that Musk gains pre-approval from other Tesla executives before tweeting about the company.

Musk'stweets regarding Manchester United come when he is trying to terminate his $44 billion acquisition of the social platform. Twitter has taken him to court over his attempt to exit the deal.