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UEFA is likely to accept an offer from Qatar for Manchester United, according to a new report.
The club has been put up for sale by the current majority shareholders, the Glazer family, with a price tag of around $5 billion.
This limits the list of potential bidders to a very small elite.
Qatar Sport Investment (QSI), a subsidiary of the sovereign wealth fund, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), already owns Paris Saint Germain, making the full acquisition of United a conflict of interest that the UEFA support.
However, another group within Qatar has been linked with an interest and, despite the fact that they, too, would have Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as their ultimate leader, UEFA will “give Qatar the green light” to own the club. . , says the Daily Mail.
The Mail cites UEFA rules which state that “no club participating in UEFA club competitions may… own or deal in securities or shares of any other participating club” or “participate in any capacity in the management, administration and/or sports performance of any other participating club”.
However, “the UEFA Club Financial Control Body, which regulates the competitions, is likely to rule that dual ownership is legitimate as long as Sheikh Tamim is a token, hands-off figure and the two teams have separate management and corporate structures.” different, not collude.”
The report cites the situation with Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig, which UEFA ruled were governed in a way where there was no “decisive influence” between them.
They also stated that clubs should only be banned if they have ‘decisive influence’ relating to matters ‘affecting a club’s performance in a competition and not merely corporate, commercial, financial or other generic business activities, which do not directly affect the sports performance. ,’”, added El Correo.
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s company INEOS has also signaled its intention to bid, but the Qatari consortium is expected to outbid them, with reports suggesting Ratcliffe will not exceed $4 billion.
INEOS would also have to convince UEFA that there was no “decisive influence” between OG Nice, also owned by the company, and United, if their takeover bid was successful.
Bids for the club are due by Friday, with an investor from Saudi Arabia and up to three American entities also set to enter the fray.
