PARIS, Feb 20 — A consortium led by a Qatari banker has submitted a bid for Premier League side Manchester United, making it potentially the latest Middle Eastern buyer of a top European club.
But any potential deal could present problems given Qatar’s ownership of Paris Saint-Germain, since European governing body Uefa does not allow two clubs competing in the same competition to be owned by the same entity.
AFP Sport looks at how some of the foreign-owned clubs stack up:
Manchester United:
Current owners
The American Glazer family completed a leveraged takeover of the club in 2005. Other business interests include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL and real estate group First Allied Corporation.
They have proved deeply unpopular with supporters due to the team’s declining fortunes on the pitch in recent years. Their purchase of United also saddled the club with huge debts.
In November 2022, the Glazers announced that after 17 years they were open to a sale or investment.
Stadium and capacity
The club’s Old Trafford stadium has a capacity of around 75,000.
Proposals to renovate the iconic stadium — which officially opened in 1910 — could see that increased dramatically but there are no concrete plans yet in place.
Key players
England star forward Marcus Rashford, who has scored 14 league goals this season. World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez and Portuguese star Bruno Fernandes are other top names at the Red Devils.
Former club legend Cristiano Ronaldo departed last November after his fallout with manager Erik ten Hag.
Value
According to Deloitte, Manchester United are fourth in the 2023 Football Money League with 2022 revenue of €688.6 million (RM3.25 billion), sharply up from €558 million the previous year. They topped the league in 2018.
The club is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Paris Saint-Germain:
Current owners
Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) bought PSG in 2011. QSI also announced last October it will acquire nearly 22 per cent of the Portuguese club Sporting Braga.
The organisation is a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) — the country’s sovereign wealth fund which has assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
Stadium and capacity
The club’s Parc des Princes in the southwest of Paris has a capacity of 48,500. PSG has called the stadium home since 1974, but leases the site from city authorities.
PSG have made acquisition of the ground in the city’s leafy western suburbs a condition for carrying out modernisation and expansion works to the tune of €500 million (US$536 million) — but the Paris Mayor has said it will not be sold.
Key players
French superstar Kylian Mbappe, Argentine World Cup winner Lionel Messi and Brazilian forward Neymar.
Value
According to Deloitte, PSG are fifth in the global rankings of its 2023 Football Money League. The club’s revenue in 2022 was €654.2 million.
Newcastle United:
Current owners
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) — the conservative kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund — holds an 80 per cent stake in the club.
The Saudi-led consortium took over the club from owner Mike Ashley in October 2021 for a transformative £305 million (RM1.62 billion), and since then the club has emerged as a serious threat to the English football establishment.
British financier Amanda Staveley emerged as the public face of the ownership group.
The PIF has also bankrolled the lucrative and controversial LIV Golf Series.
Stadium and capacity
St James’ Park, which has a capacity of 52,000.
Key players
Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Miguel Almiron.
Value
According to Deloitte, Newcastle’s 2022 revenue was €212.3 million, putting it in twentieth place in this year’s Football Money League.
Manchester City:
Current owners
In 2008, Manchester City was taken over by Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group, in a deal worth around €250 million.
Sheikh Mansour, a member of the UAE royal family, took control of the club from former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Abu Dhabi’s investment in the club transformed them into the Premier League’s dominant force, winning six titles in the last 11 seasons.
Stadium and capacity
The Etihad Stadium — renamed after a sponsorship deal in 2011 — has a capacity of 53,400.
The club launched a feasibility study at the end of last year to explore renovating the stadium, including potentially expanding the stadium’s capacity of more than 60,000.
Key players
Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland, Rodri
Value
The club’s total revenue was a huge €731 million in 2022, putting it at the top of the Deloitte Football Money League for the second consecutive year.
It marks a “rapid rise up the rankings”, according to Deloitte, with the club only breaking into the top five in 2015/16. — AFP
