Outside investment in British football looks set to increase but the wave of takeovers from China has probably peaked, analysts say.
Out of 20 English Premier League clubs, 13 are owned or controlled by companies from outside the United Kingdom and that wave of investment has rippled down the leagues to the lower levels, such as Bristol Rovers, which was acquired last year by Jordanian Wael Al Qadi.
“If you look at the income, money from TV rights is increasing in value. That will attract people from around the world to English clubs,” says Mr Al Qadi, a co-founder of the Arab Jordan Investment Bank, who was speaking at the Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester, England, as part of a panel on international ownership of sport.
Trevor Watkins, the global head of sports at the legal practice Pinsent Masons, was moderating the session and said he had received “five or six” enquiries about buying English clubs in the last 36 hours. “I don’t think there is a lack of interest in people looking to buy [English] clubs,” said Mr Watkins.
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However, the influx of money into English football from China, which has seen Aston Villa, Birmingham West Bromwich Albion (WBA) and Wolverhampton Wanderers taken over by Chinese investors looks likely to stop.
“Deals are a lot more difficult to do now,” says Marcus Shabolt, a managing partner at Vermilion Partners, an investment banking group that specialises in cross-border Chinese investment and advised the consortium from China led by the entrepreneur Guochuan Lai, which acquired the English Premier League Club West Bromwich Albion in September 2016.
“China is still a developing economy. I can see it might be difficult spending a lot of money on a player or a club when there is a lot of work to be done raising the average lot of people in China," adds Mr Shabolt.
“There might be individuals with offshore funds but I doubt that companies in China will buy clubs outside of China in the immediate future.”
Those English clubs acquired by overseas investors are instead looking to make money overseas with Mr Al Qadi citing his attempts to generate interest in the Middle East in Bristol Rovers through the live streaming of matches over the internet.
“We are working to a strategy to make people in the Mena region to be interested in Rovers and to generate subscriptions,” he says.
China and the United States are the key markets for English clubs to boost their income.
Mr Shabolt adds: “It’s the national plan to take national income from sport from £40 billion [Dh191.21bn] to £500bn. Football is expected to be a large part of that. Owning a club from what is arguably the best league in the world is part.
“The accretion of rights value must stop at some point, but there are still some areas where it can grow.
“There is a lot of growth to be had in the USA; certainly, that’s in the mind of our owners.
“If a club gets the strategy right, they could double their commercial income in a place like China,” Mr Shabolt says.
With money coming in and clubs looking for global expansion, English football remains a money hub for the game.
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Cherry
Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo
Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo
1/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
A German university was a good fit for the family budget
Annual fees for the Technical University of Munich - £600
Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between £200-600
The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses - £20,000 annually
Overall costs in Germany are lower than the family estimated
As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640
Students are permitted to withdraw £720 per month
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.