Stefan Borson: This is why Sheikh Mansour has increased his shares in Man City
Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour has invested heavily in the club since taking over at the Etihad Stadium.
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 has been forced to inject money into Man City
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Mansour’s shareholding has increased after he’s been forced to put money into the CFG.
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 Mansour’s shares in the CFG increasing, Borson said: “Well, I think what’s interesting about that is this is the second fundraising from memory that has resulted in for the first time in a long time Sheikh Mansour’s vehicle having to put more money into the club, and the group as a whole.
“What’s tended to happen in the period from around about maybe 2016, 2017 is that they’d managed to get third parties to come in as co-owners and co-shareholders. So, that had included some Chinese investment originally, then Silver Lake, and it ultimately ended with Silver Lake being a 20 per cent shareholder.
“What’s happened over the last two fundraisings is that Silver Lake have effectively passed on putting more money in. They put something like $500m (£380m) in historically, and they’ve passed.”
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 paying to complete major projects
Borson revealed Mansour’s shareholding has increased after Silver Lake decided not to put more money into the CFG.
“What that’s meant obviously is that somebody needs to put the money in, and it’s been Sheikh Mansour,” said Borson.
“I can’t remember the numbers off the top of my head in terms of what they’ve ended up putting in, but it’s tens of millions of pounds, which is a requirement because the group as a whole with so many clubs and so many capital projects, things like stadiums, needs cash.
“What has happened is that the cash just needed to be put in by Sheikh Mansour. If you put cash in, obviously that’s then diluted to all the other shareholders that don’t put cash in, so Silver Lake’s interest goes down, and Sheikh Mansour’s interest goes slightly up through the vehicle Newton.”
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.
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