Billionaire George Soros invests in Manchester United

NEW YORK - Agence France-Presse

Shoppers walk past a Manchester United merchandise store at a mall in Singapore June 14, 2012. REUTERS photo

US billionaire George Soros has bought a stake in Manchester United, the British football club that made its Wall Street debut earlier this month, according to a filing with US regulators on Monday.

Soros' investment firm bought approximately 3.1 million class A shares, or 7.85 percent of the total Class A shares, a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed.
 
That comprises 1.9 percent of Manchester United, when the powerful Class B shares held by members of the Glazer family, who control and direct the club, are taken into account. Class B shares enjoy 10 times the voting rights in the company as compared with Class A shares.
 
After an underwhelming initial public offering on August 10, shares in the club finished Monday at $13.06, down 6.7 percent from the IPO price of $14. Still, the club earned $233 million from the IPO, which valued it at about $2.3 billion, making it the most valuable sports team in the world.