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Finance guru: Government have ordered Man City sale as American deal complete
The Chinese government likely instructed China Media Capital to divest their shares in Man City parent company City Football Group.
That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about CMC’s now-confirmed sale of another chunk of their stake in the multi-club empire.
A source told Football Insider last Thursday (24 November) that the investment firm were poised to withdraw entirely from CFG following the resignation of their chairman, Ruigang Li, as a board member.
It was confirmed the following day that they had sold seven per cent to Silver Lake, the American private equity group that also upped their stake in September and now owns 18 per cent of CFG.
City are poised to make historic Brazilian side Bahia the 12th club in their portfolio and are the fastest-growing, most lucrative multi-club organisation in world football.
But Plumley suggests that a directive from the Chinese Communist Party may explain why CMC, whose shareholding is now close to one per cent, have chosen now to withdraw almost entirely from the City network.
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“I think we have to tie this back to the narrative around Chinese investment in football more generally,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“I think we saw that huge play a few years ago where they were buying up lots of stakes in clubs all around Europe.
“There was a big push from within the country as well with the Chinese Super League. Loads of players went there on big money.
“There was a big government play to invest in the sport and we are now seeing the climbdown of that. As with anything in the country, it is very much driven by politics.
“We have seen them hit their peak and now they are on the other side of it in terms of football.
“They probably also know they can’t compete with Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi.“
In other news, Man City will benefit from “amazing” Jack Grealish development as pundit left in awe.