At least 4.5 billion euros. This is the offer that Qatar would be ready to put on the table to take control of Manchester United. In order to avoid the constraints of FIFA and UEFA, in particular the prohibition for a single owner to own two clubs registered in the same continental competitions, the investor will not this time be the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), shareholder of Paris Saint-Germain. This time it would be the work of Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani, uncle of Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, already a major landowner in England. The Qatari motivation is hardly debatable, nor that the Emirate is behind the maneuver: the man was Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Admittedly, the game is far from won, the names of Jim Ratcliffe, president of Ineos and the biggest fortune in Great Britain, and even Elon Musk, are cited in the list of contenders for the Glazer succession. The names may therefore change, but everyone knows that in both cases, the Emirate would be at the head of the two entities. And suddenly, the case goes beyond the framework of a simple extension of the empire of his soft power. Although having enormous funds, the Qataris will be forced to make choices between their two flagship clubs. That of the city of light would seem much less resplendent and would risk taking a back seat.
MU : Dream once more
The Premier League is certainly an old objective in the Qatari strategy, the place of investment par excellence on the chessboard of globalized capitalist football. Having become a sort of NBA of soccer, the English championship garners the largest sums, especially in TV rights, especially abroad. Moreover, a brand such as Manchester United would immediately bring worldwide and media visibility which is not to be built, not to mention its millions of fans around the world, i.e. as many customers for the shirts. In addition, buying the coat of arms proudly worn by Cantona, Beckham and Ronaldo would allow you to acquire a beautiful house whose trophy cabinet, especially in C1, is already full. An institution that can hope, and not just dream, to win others. The difficulties encountered in the European project of the PSG, in which the Qataris bear a heavy responsibility, must also have reinforced the latter in their desire to move towards a “ business “which has a” marque “prestige and of an undeniable know-how. The refusal of the mayor of Paris to sell off the Parc des Princes constitutes in this context the last of the reasons.
L1 : Dream smaller
However, for PSG, the effects might prove dire. THE Red Devils would inevitably become the main footballing jewels of the Qataris in Europe. Financial flows in terms of the purchase of players, stars or even just promising talents would be at great risk of changing the center of gravity. The idea of a sale of PSG remains improbable, because the buyers would be few and surely not generous. For the record, the Glazers are asking for 5.5 billion to sell ManU. The consequences for Ligue 1 might prove to be just as cruel: a hard return to reality for a championship that felt outclassed in the shadow of the Parisian economic ogre. The second C1 would move away even further. Who indeed in current French football, including among residents of Ligue 1 with foreign checkbooks (OL, OM, Nice, etc.) can reasonably claim it? In addition, a normalization of PSG, not only sporting as at the moment, but also of status (fewer Golden Balls or world champions in the workforce) would necessarily force the LFP to revise downwards its claims in terms of TV rights, especially internationally, where the figures are bordering on the ridiculous at the moment. It only remains for him perhaps to wish the success of the action initiated by the association Fair Rights with UEFA, in order to prevent this sale…
