Qatari investors ‘confident’ that Man Utd takeover hurdle will ‘not cause any issues’
Qatari investors are ‘confident’ that there will be no dual-ownership issues as they look to push through a deal to take over Man Utd, according to reports.
The Daily Mail reported last night that private investors from the Gulf state are not put off by the £6bn price tag the Glazers have put on the Premier League club as they look for a quick deal.
It is understood that the Qatari investors will make a bid in the coming days for Man Utd after billionaire boss of Ineos, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, also recently entered the process to buy United, the club he supported as a boy.
And now the Daily Mail insists the ‘group of Qatari investors who are to launch a bid for Manchester United are confident that there will be no issues presented by the nation’s ownership of Paris Saint-Germain’.
The newspaper adds:
‘One issue could be the ownership of the French giants by Qatar Sports Investment Group.
‘However, that is an area which is being examined by experts acting on behalf of those involved.
‘They are separate from QSI and the money will be in the shape of an individual fund rather than a sovereign wealth fund.
‘There is a confidence that Qatar’s ownership of PSG will not cause any issues.
‘It can also be disclosed that the group, who are confident that theirs will be the strongest bid, are already making plans for what should happen if they are successful.’
Amnesty International has warned the Premier League the reports of a Qatari bid for Man Utd should be “another wake-up call” for the governing body.
“Coming in the wake of the World Cup and strenuous efforts from the Qatari government to fashion a glitzy new image for the country, it seems highly likely that any Qatari bid for Manchester United would be a continuation of this state-backed sportswashing project,” Peter Frankental, Amnesty UK’s economic affairs director, told the PA news agency.
“We saw only limited reforms on migrant workers’ rights in Qatar in the lead-up to the World Cup, and there’s been no movement whatsoever in ending the disgraceful criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people or institutional discrimination against women.
“It’s been nearly 18 months since the hugely controversial Saudi takeover of Newcastle United and a Qatari bid for Manchester United would be yet another wake-up call to the Premier League over the need to reform its ownership rules.
“We’re not necessarily opposed to the involvement of state-linked overseas financial consortia in English football, but the Premier League must urgently strengthen ownership rules to ensure they’re human rights-compliant and not an opportunity for more sportswashing.”
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