City Football Group, the owners of Manchester City have bought a majority stake in Chinese third tier club Sichuan Jiuniu FC.
Sheikh Mansour holds a pretty keen interest in sports and bought the Premier League champions back in 2008 for a whopping £210m. Since then the football club has grown in stature and has become one of the powerhouses in world football.
The Chinese club which participates in the League Two of their country was established in 2006 and has their own stadium which can hold 27000 people during a match day. Alongside CFG, China Sports Capital and UBTECH have also invested in the club.
CFG’s interest in football spans over all the continents as they currently own New York City FC and Melbourne City Football Club while they are also the co-owners of Japan’s Yokohama Marinos, Uruguay’s Club Atletico Torque and Spain’s Girona.
Chief Executive Officer Ferran Soriano said, “Today marks an exciting new chapter in the growth of City Football Group. China is an extremely important football market, which we have been focused on for some time.
“We are delighted to welcome Sichuan Jiuniu FC to our Group, alongside our partners, China Sports Capital and UBTECH. We see this as a natural extension of our existing activities.
“From our work together at Manchester City and across CFG, our relationships with CMC Inc, China Sports Capital and UBTECH make us very confident that we have established a strong ownership group which is well placed to oversee this club.
“We believe strongly in the future of football in China.
“We are making a long-term, sustainable commitment to grow and develop Sichuan Jiuniu FC and to nurture Chinese footballing talent. These objectives are equally important.”
