Will Qatar abandon PSG after buying Man Utd?

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 22 Feb 2023 16:26 GMT
• 3 min read

With the news that a consortium led by a Qatari banker are bidding to buy Manchester United, there have been concerns over the potential impact on Paris Saint-Germain.

The Ligue 1 champions were taken over by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) over a decade ago.

Under new ownership, they have dominated in France, winning eight league titles.

QSI, which is a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority, bought the club for just €70m in 2011 - and it became one of the biggest projects under the Gulf state’s sovereign wealth fund.

But now they are looking at Man Utd, one of the biggest clubs in football.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Ten Hag's £350m Man Utd summer transfer plans already taking shape

Their bid was been led by the chairman of the Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and is thought to be worth between €4 and €6b, reports the Japan Times.

Jean-Baptiste Guegan, a lecturer and specialist in geopolitics in sport, told the publication. “When you have an offer from someone who is a member of the wider Al-Thani family, it inevitably means it is an offer from the state. This means nothing has been done without the approval of the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.”

But another source claimed close to PSG said that Qataris ditching PSG in the short or medium term is unlikely.

“The plans for PSG would not change at all. The two clubs would be totally separate on the field and off it. The QIB is totally separate from QSI.

Nasser al-Khelaifi says PSG is 'long term'

Last December, PSG President Nasser al-Khelaifi said to the Financial Times “we have a long-term project here.”

Raphael Le Magoariec, who specializes in the Gulf and sport at Tours University in France, told the Japan Times: “Qatar is capable of persisting with the two clubs. That doesn’t mean that it is finished with PSG. It is above all a demonstration of Qatar’s power that it is able to show an interest in a club like Manchester United.

“It is unlikely that they would withdraw from Paris because that would be seen as a failure.”

“Paris is the type of platform which gives Qatar standing in the world."