The leader of Burma's military junta considered making a $1bn bid to buy Manchester United around the time it was facing rising anger from the United Nations over its "unacceptably slow" response to cyclone Nargis.
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Than Shwe, commander in chief of the armed forces and a fan of United, was urged to mount a takeover bid by his grandson, according to a cable from the US embassy in Rangoon. "One well-connected source reports that the grandson wanted Than Shwe to offer $1bn for Manchester United," said the June 2009 cable. "The senior general thought that expenditure could look bad, so he opted to create for Burma a league of its own." GNS
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