Elon Musk made waves on Wednesday by tweeting that he was buying Manchester United before hours later saying it was a joke.
It comes as the billionaire CEO of Tesla faces a legal battle in the US after pulling out of a deal to buy Twitter for $44 billion. He is a prolific user of the platform, often musing on social issues or joking with his 103 million followers and occasionally running into trouble with US regulators.
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Early Wednesday, Musk tweeted about his political affiliations and then added in a the second tweet: “Also, I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome.”
United’s American owners, the Glazer family, have been heavily criticized by the club’s fans for the team’s failings in recent years.
Asked by a follower if he was serious, Musk later posted on Twitter: “No, that’s an old Twitter joke. I’m not buying any sports teams.”
Musk previously clashed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission over tweets claiming he had the funds to take Tesla private in 2018, sending the electric vehicle maker’s share price soaring. .
That led to a securities fraud settlement that requires his tweets to be approved by a Tesla lawyer before being published.
He is now facing more legal trouble over the deal to buy Twitter, which he negotiated in April.
Musk sold roughly $8.5 billion in Tesla stock to help finance the purchase and lined up a diverse group of other investors to back him.
The deal fell apart last month after Musk said Twitter refused to give him enough information about the number of fake accounts on the platform.
Twitter could have tried to force him to pay a $1 billion breakup fee he agreed to, but instead is suing him to force him to complete the acquisition. The case is expected to go to trial in Delaware in October.
United were arguably the greatest team in world football under manager Sir Alex Ferguson, winning 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies.
But since Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, the team has struggled to win trophies.
Last season, United finished 35 points behind champions Manchester City and fans staged numerous protests against the Glazer family.
Many supporters in the club’s large international fan base have opposed the Glazers since they took over in 2005, partly because they financed the purchase by putting the club into debt for the first time in decades.
The latest slump came on Saturday, when United lost 4-0 to Brentford. It was United’s second straight defeat to open the season, leaving them bottom of the Premier League.
The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust, known as MUST, condemned the owners after last weekend’s game.
“What we have witnessed tonight is an embarrassment – no, a humiliation – for Manchester United fans,” the supporters’ club said in a statement.
“And yet in many ways it wasn’t a surprise. It feels like the culmination of a long journey.
“MUST hold the owners of the Club primarily responsible for this new level in our decade of decline.”
