Stefan Borson drops verdict on Sheikh Mansour bankrolling new Man City injection
Sheikh Mansour is continuing to pump money into Manchester City’s ownership group to pay the bills.
The Abu Dhabi United Group, which is owned by Mansour – the vice president of the UAE – purchased Man City in 2008 for around £200million.
Pep Guardiola’s side form part of the City Football Group (CFG), which was created in 2013 to build a multi-club organisation, with 12 more teams added to the portfolio alongside the Manchester giants.
Mansour has increased his shares in Man City’s ownership group to more than 80 per cent after his vehicle, Newton Investment and Development, injected £420m last year.
As a result, Silicon Valley-based private equity firm Silver Lake, which initially bought shares in the CFG in 2019, has seen its stake diluted to below 17 per cent.
Sheikh Mansour could put more money into Man City
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Mansour could inject more cash into the CFG depending on the needs of the business.
Mansour’s financial power was laid bare last month during an encounter with US president Donald Trump, who said the Man City chief has “unlimited cash”.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about whether Mansour could put more money into the CFG, Borson said: “It may well continue. It very much depends on the continued cash requirement within the business.
“Clearly, as you finish off some of these big capital projects, such as the New York stadium and the extension to the Etihad, as those projects come to an end and are paid for, and then have the possibility of generating the additional revenue that comes from those projects, then obviously the cash requirement goes down in terms of the capital and you start to get better cash flow from the actual asset, which should reduce the amount of money that needs to be put in by shareholders.
“It depends what else they do. Obviously, we’re not close to exactly what’s going on in each of the 13 clubs in the group, so it may well be that the Brazilian team needs a new stadium or whatever.”
Man City’s value has increased dramatically since Mansour took over at the Etihad, with various analysts now valuing the club at more than £4billion.
Man City owners have built ‘very big’ company
Borson insisted it isn’t a surprise the CFG needs more cash due to the size of the business following its expansion.
“It will depend really on the plans across the group as to what happens to the spending,” said Borson.
“But it’s not really a surprise that they continue to need cash. The business is now a very big international football group. Manchester City are only one part of it in terms of the cash requirement.
“In fact, I suspect that from a cash perspective these days, once the project at the Etihad is finished, it will probably be one of the least cash consumptive arms of the business.”
Man City generate the highest revenue in the Premier League, with their latest published accounts for 2023-24 revealing their turnover stood at £715m.
That accounts for the vast majority of the CFG’s overall revenue, which was £933m across the same period.
For more Man City and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.