Investors from Qatar Want to Buy Manchester United, but PSG Can Be an Obstacle
JAKARTA – Investors from Qatar are reportedly preparing lucrative sums of money to take over English giant Manchester United. They will make an offer in the coming days.
Reports have surfaced in the media that several Qatari tycoons are willing to shell out their pockets for MU. The club is considered the crown jewel in world football.
In November last year it was reported that the Glazer family as the owners of the club nicknamed the Red Devils were working on several strategic alternatives for the club. One of them is selling options.
The family is reportedly willing to let go of the club based at Old Trafford as long as there is the right offer. According to reports, the family that has controlled MU since 2005 has set the club's value at 6 billion pounds (Rp. 109 trillion).
They have also set mid-February this year as the bidding deadline. British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is among United's other potential buyers after he confirmed his interest in January.
According to the report, the bid from Qatar for the Red Devils was made by an individual investor. Investors want to take over MU so they can help Erik ten Hag to be able to buy the world's best players.
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However, the Qatari tycoon's intentions could be constrained by regulations if Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) is behind the bid for the Red Devils. The reason is, one entity cannot have two clubs in the same competition.
The group currently owns French giant Paris-Saint Germain (PSG). Therefore, later the potential for MU and PSG to meet in the European Champions League or Europa League is quite open.
Actually, there is no limit for an owner to acquire several clubs at once in different countries. However, European football's governing body (UEFA) prohibits two clubs controlled by the same owner from competing in their respective competitions.
Therefore, if both PSG and MU qualify for the UEFA competition, their owners will have a headache. Like it or not they have to choose one of their two teams to play in UEFA competitions.