The value of the City Football Group exceeds $8 billion

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Manchester City Football Club, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, confirmed that the long-term investment strategy led by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Presidential Office, since the acquisition of the club in 2008, has contributed to raising the market value of the City Football Group from about $120 million to exceeding $8 billion currently.

Speaking to the official Manchester City club channel today, Friday, Al-Mubarak said that the group’s investment approach is based on continuing to build value, enhance assets, and achieve sustainable growth, in addition to continuous investment in the communities in which the group operates, which will reflect positively on long-term revenues and returns.

He touched on the Guardiola Coliseum project and stressed that it represents an important investment for the club and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the Manchester community, pointing out that this investment strategy has been ongoing since 2008 and has not stopped, as the group continues annually to explore appropriate opportunities to invest in the city and the local community in a way that supports the growth of its business and enhances its financial resources.

He added that the project comes as an extension of a series of major investments implemented by the group, including the investment in the “Co-op Arena”, which he described as an amazing success, considering that the current stage represents a new and important step in the process of development and growth.

Regarding the Medlock Square project, Al-Mubarak explained that it represents an integrated development model that is unparalleled in the United Kingdom, and perhaps even in Europe, in terms of the comprehensiveness and integration of the project, pointing out that it combines achieving economic returns and adding real value to the city of Manchester and its community.

Regarding infrastructure spending, Al-Mubarak stressed that what the group is doing falls within the concept of investment and not cost, explaining that investment aims to generate revenues and future returns, even if it is temporarily reflected in the results of profits and losses in some years.

He said that the group has continued, for 18 years, to continuously invest in the club and its various assets, with the aim of developing value, enhancing revenues and achieving sustainable profits, in addition to contributing to community service and adding long-term economic and social value.

Al Mubarak reviewed the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in investment management, explaining that it is based on long-term investment by re-injecting profits and revenues into the institution to enhance its growth and raise its market value in the long term.

He pointed out that the value of the investment when acquiring the club in 2008 ranged between $100 and $120 million, before it gradually rose to $1 billion, then to $2 billion, then $3 billion, a stage that witnessed the entry of new investors. The group then continued its growth to reach $5 billion, then $6 and $7 billion, before its value now exceeds the $8 billion barrier.

He explained that the influx of new investments from shareholders who believe in this strategy contributed to enhancing growth, while His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan took a pivotal decision to keep these funds within the project to continue its development, which continuously enhanced the group’s market value.

He added that this growth clearly reflects the concept of building value in the long term, noting that if the project was offered for sale in the market today, its estimated value would not be less than $10 billion.

Al-Mubarak stressed that the option of selling is not on the table at all, and that the trend is to continue growth and expansion, based on the conviction that the value of the group will continue to rise in the future, describing Manchester City and “Citigroup Football” as unique sports assets that combine football and the entertainment sector in one of the most stable and attractive industries in the world.

He touched on the New York City Football Club, stressing that building a new stadium for the club represents an important milestone in the group’s journey, and an embodiment of the success of transferring the experience that began in Manchester to a global scale.

He explained that the new stadium will enter service next season, noting that the economic and commercial indicators of the project reflect its success through the great demand from sponsors and partners. He pointed out that the value of New York City FC has risen from an initial investment of $100 million to more than $1.5 billion currently.

Regarding the performance of the Citigroup football clubs, Al-Mubarak confirmed that the group is proceeding according to the established plans, explaining that the nature of work in football and the passion and emotion it characterizes makes the results of the teams vary from one season to another, which is normal in an organization that includes a large number of clubs in various parts of the world.

Regarding issues related to the English Premier League, Al-Mubarak confirmed that he could not comment on the issue before the final ruling was issued, indicating that he would speak extensively about the file after the official decision was announced.