Yesterday brought reports that Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaifi is part of the Qatari based bid, led by Sheik Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, to take over Manchester United. PSG is owned by Qatar Sports Investments, making them basically one of just two clubs in the entire world owned by a holding company controlled by the leadership of a wealthy petrol state.
The other, Manchester City, is playing later today in the Champions League Final in Istanbul, the city where Al-Khelaifi made these specific remarks.
“Paris Saint-Germain is my club, my heart and nothing to do with Man United,” he said as a response to the stories that claim he has a significant role in Sheikh Jassim’s bid to purchase MUFC in full.
Al-Khelaifi maintains that all he’s done is provide his opinion, when people ask for it, on these matters. While there is certainly nothing wrong with that, we do find ourselves in a bit of a grey area here.
“I’m not working for anyone. I want the best for football. When this guy asked me, I tell him my opinion,” he continued.
“So if they ask me my opinion I will answer them for sure and that’s what they do. Anyone, not just Man United. I will give them my experience that I have. That’s it.”
If he’s telling the truth, then ok, no problem. If he’s not, well then we have major conflicts of interest going on here. Not just with his role as as PSG President but also given his title as chairman of the European Club Association.
The same might be said for the main/only rivals to the Qatari bid, the consortium led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS.
Ratcliffe is the owner of the French Ligue 1 club Nice. I’m really not sure how all this squares with the specific rule that UEFA has about an individual having “decisive influence” over more than club at the same time.
As for Shiekh Jassim, he placed his fifth and final bid for United this week, and with it an ultimatum to the Glazers. An ultimatum that he later backed off from. His fourth bid, back in mid-May, was supposedly going to be his last offer. And every time he submits a bid, the amount increases.
When all is said and done, the final sale price could be as much as, if not north of $6 billion.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.