News about Qatar being in talks to buy a stake in Leeds United in a deal that would allow the gas-rich Gulf state to enter English football for the first time, have angered the English fans of the game.
The Financial Times reported that Qatar Sports Investments, a state-backed group which controls France’s Paris Saint-Germain, has been in talks over a deal with Leeds United and its owner Andrea Radrizzani in recent months, these people said.
A person familiar with the talks said Qatar was seeking a controlling stake in Leeds United, which plays in the Championship, the second tier of English professional football, and narrowly missed promotion into the Premier League this season.
“Qatar Sports Investments will be entering English Football, and Leeds is the club of their choice,” the person said. “Qatar has been looking into the prospects of entering English Football for the past two years.”
Qatar is the world’s richest nation in per capita terms and, like other Gulf states, has been increasingly using sport to project its soft power. The small nation controversially won the bid to host the 2022 football World Cup and has invested tens of billions of dollars in sport. Mr Radrizzani has been considering a sale of at least a minority stake for the past few months, but had awaited the outcome of its bid to achieve promotion to the Premier League. Talks have been restarted after Leeds lost at the end of season playoffs to Derby County earlier this month.
The failure meant the club missed out on at least £170m in guaranteed payments from the Premier League’s multibillion pound broadcasting rights.
Mr Radrizzani declined to comment.
“We always look for opportunities and the UK market is definitely top on the list”, said a spokesperson for Qatar Sports Investments.
A person close to the talks said that any money raised in a stake sale would not go towards acquiring players for Leeds United, as that would be in breach of FFP regulations.
A networtk system could suit Paris Saint-Germain, which itself is under investigation by Uefa, European football’s governing body, over alleged breaches of FFP related to its world record signings of superstars such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
