Qatari investors mulling a Tottenham takeover?
Qatari investors are no strangers to buying European football clubs.
From French side Paris Saint-Germain to Spanish club Malaga CF and Belgium’s KAS Eupen, there have been several instances of Qatari entities owning European football teams.
English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur could be the latest club to have Qatari owners as a consortium is understood to be actively pursuing the deal.
Club Chairman Daniel Levy could be given the chance to stay on at Tottenham should the bid by the consortium to buy the club is successful, reported British newspaper The Guardian.
The newspaper said it had learned that a group of Qatari investors were willing to give Levy a long-term contract to continue running Spurs as executive chairman.
Though it may be an unpopular move for the club’s supporters, it is understood that the consortium is keen to retain Levy’s expertise.
The Guardian said though the consortium wanted control of the Spurs, the takeover could happen in a phased format.
“Under one model being considered by the investors, Levy would be offered a management contract to run the club, which would remain in place even if Enic, that owns 86.91% of Tottenham, becomes a minority shareholder,” the newspaper wrote.
Levy has been the most influential figure at Tottenham since 2001, when Enic bought 29.9% of the club before gaining full control six years later.
Under the 63-year-old’s leadership, Spurs was transformed into one of the richest clubs in Europe with an annual income of over £500m.
Tottenham have openly acknowledged needing outside investment, and financial services group Rothschild has been appointed to advise on investment talks.
Though Tottenham have had great interest from potential investors in America and Middle East, none could so far meet the £3.75bn price it is asking.
While the identity of the Qatari bidders remain unclear, it is understood that they are private individuals.
Levy had held talks with several Qatari entities without closing a deal. In 2016, the club entered negotiations with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) about a naming-rights deal for their new stadium, and two years ago, QSI approached the club about a minority investment.
Since 2022, Enic and Tottenham have been controlled by the billionaire Joe Lewis’s family trust, managed by two independent professional trustees on behalf of beneficiaries that do not include Lewis.
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