The investment by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed in Manchester City has been the biggest and highest profile from the Gulf. Here are five others.
Paris Saint-Germain, France
Qatar Investment Authority became the sole shareholder of Paris Saint-Germain after purchasing the club in a deal worth €50m earlier this year, which covered an estimated €15-20m in debt and losses of €19m from the 2010/11 season. PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi announced that he expected to invest €100m in the transfer market.
Malaga, Spain
In June 2010, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, a Qatari investor and member of the royal family, bought the club for a reported €36 million (Dh170.8m). Manuel Pellegrini, the former Real Madrid coach, was brought in and big signings included Ruud van Nistelrooy, Martin Demichelis and Julio Baptista.
Getafe, Spain
On April 25, 2011 Dubai-based Royal Emirates Group and chairman Sheikh Butti bin Suhail Al Maktoum agreed a deal in principle to buy the Spanish top-flight team. Getafe, based just in the outskirts of Madrid and only founded in their current form in 1983, narrowly avoided relegation last season and were a mid-table side in 2011/12. This month, the group missed a payment deadline and the deal appears to be off.
SpVgg Unterhaching, Germany
Khalifa Saif Al Muhairibi, an Emirati businessman, took over the Liga 3 club in Germany earlier this year. Unterhaching are located in the outskirts of Munich. They played in the Bundesliga alongside neighbours Bayern between 1999 and 2001.
Racing Santander, Spain
On 22 January 2011, Indian business tycoon Ahsan Ali Syed, the founder and chairman of Western Gulf Advisory, a Bahrain investment company, purchased Racing Santander for a reported €36m, immediately firing the manager Miguel Angel Portugal. The club were relegated from the Primera Liga this season, after finishing 20th in the table.