Elon Musk caused havoc by tweeting that he was buying the English soccer team Manchester United, then saying several hours later that it was a joke.
Musk sent a tweet about his political affiliations and then added in a second tweet: “Also, I'm buying Manchester United ur welcome.”
That came as shocking news in the Manchester United world. Asked by a follower whether he was serious, Musk later tweeted, “No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I'm not buying any sports teams.”
Musk previously ran afoul of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for tweets claiming that he had the funding to take Tesla private in 2018, leading the electric vehicle maker's stock price to jump. That led to a securities fraud settlement requiring that his tweets be approved by a Tesla attorney before being published.
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The post by Musk left Man United fans in awe and Twitter got flooded with sarcasm
Man United was arguably the biggest team in world soccer under their manager Alex Ferguson. They won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies. However, since Ferguson's retirement in 2013, the team has struggled to win trophies.
Last season, United finished 35 points behind champion Manchester City and there were protests against the Glazer family, the team's American owners.
In the latest game on Saturday, United lost to Brentford by 0-4. It was United's second straight loss to open the season, leaving it in last place in the 20-team Premier League.
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The Manchester United Supporters' Trust fan group, known as MUST, had condemned the owners following last weekend's match.
“What we have witnessed tonight is an embarrassment. And yet in many ways, it was not a surprise. It feels like the culmination of a long-term direction of travel,” the fan club said in a statement.
(Inputs from PTI)
