The confusion was possible and moreover, it hovered at the time of the announcement made on Friday evening: no, Jassim bin Hamad JJ Al-Thani is not the one, who bears almost the same name, who stood at the alongside his older brother, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the World Cup ceremony on December 18 in Doha. “They are part of the Khalifa family, which is in power in Qatar, explains sports geopolitics specialist Jean-Baptiste Guégan. Jassim at the head of the takeover of United is part of the Jaber family, the other big Qatari family. »
Any error ruled out, the announcement still made the small world of football tremble. And for good reason: if it was not the brother of the Emir of Qatar who put this offer on the table, it was indeed Qatar, through Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who positioned itself to buy Manchester United, one of the most powerful clubs in the world which seems closer than ever to changing hands.
The announcement was made on Friday evening, through a press release issued by the “Nine-Two” foundation. “Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani today confirmed that he has submitted an offer to acquire 100% of Manchester United,” the statement said. The offer plans to restore the club to its former glory, both on and off the pitch, and – most importantly – put fans back at the heart of Manchester United. »
A British upbringing and a ‘lifelong Manchester United fan’
A press release in which it is, moreover, specified who is this character who embodies this offer. “He doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page, he is not really known, develops Guégan. That’s why they give his bio and photo. “We learn that this” lifelong fan of Manchester United “, born in 1982, attended, like the Emir, the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst, in the United Kingdom, and that he is currently the president of the Qatar Islamic Bank, “one of the largest banks in Qatar”.
He is also, and above all, the son of Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former Prime Minister of Qatar (2007-2013). “He is one of the most powerful people in Qatar, a character who weighs enormously, further develops Jean-Baptiste Guégan. It is he who is at the origin of the structuring of the sports project in Qatar. He is a powerful billionaire, but who is rarely seen. Putting his son there is as if it were him. »
If this offer has not officially been formed by the Qatari sovereign fund QIA (Qatar Investments Authority) or by QSI (Qatar Sports Investments), which owns PSG, Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani remains intimately linked to the owners of the club of the capital city. QIA is the majority shareholder of the QIB bank, which is headed by Sheikh Jassim. “They needed a face to embody this project that was officially independent of QIA and QSI, explains Guégan. But when we see his career, his journey, it is a choice that refers directly to the reigning Al-Thani family. It looks like a figurehead in a project that was built quickly, when Qatar saw the opportunity to position themselves to buy Manchester United. For me, it would be like Sheikh Mansour, the president of Manchester City, someone we would see very little but whom we would know full well that behind him is the state. »
This distinction is significant as UEFA, in Article 2 of the Champions League regulations, prohibits two teams participating in the competition from sharing the same owner. “UEFA will be forced to decide,” Guégan said. If this offer succeeds, it’s a real coup and it could change the current football. Sheikh Jassim is not the only contender. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest man and owner of INEOS, has also tabled a bid worth more than 4 billion euros.