INEOS 'put club up for sale' amid Manchester United turmoil

INEOS have put one of Manchester United’s sister clubs up for sale as their sporting investments continue to struggle.Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS became minority owners of United in 2023, adding the club to a portfolio of sporting brands which has included OGC Nice, the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team, and a stake in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team.The company bought Swiss Super League side FC Lausanne-Sport in 2017, marking the birth of their sporting empire, but, per reports from The Athletic, they have now put the club up for sale less than a decade later.They have hired a consultancy firm, Alvarez & Marsal, to facilitate the sale and sent a prospectus to potential buyers. It touts the club’s ability to easily qualify for European competition, which they have only done once under INEOS.Man Utd played Lausanne-Sport in a GettyThe club has struggled under the INEOS ownership and sit dead last after 11 matches this season.The move comes amid a period of turmoil for Manchester United. The club’s appalling form and eight-match winless run has left head coach Michael Carrick on the brink of the sack.Many supporters, though, have directed their ire at the club’s ownership for a period of mismangement which has featured a string of expensive, misguided transfers.Ratcliffe bought just under 30 per cent of the club in 2023 from the Glazer family, but has not been able to escape the anti-ownership protests which have dogged the Americans since they bought into the club.On Sunday, during United’s most recent match, fans at Old Trafford implored INEOS in a chant to “sell United and f*** off home.”United faced Lausanne-Sport in a behind-closed-doors friendly during the September/October international break and won 2-1.