European football's very own Arab Spring

Gulf Air

On July 3, 2008, Gulf Air was announced as the official sponsor of English football club, Queens Park Rangers in a deal worth about £7 million. The club however, parted company with Gulf Air after three years, when it decided not to renew its contract after attaining promotion to the Premier League.

Qatar Investment Authority

Think Zlatan Ibrahimovic, think PSG, think Qatar Investment Authority

For the record, the Qatar Investment Authority was founded in 2005 by the state of Qatar to strengthen the country’s economy by diversifying into new asset classes and investments.

That’s where football comes in.

In 2011, the Qatar Investment Authority became the majority shareholder of French club side Paris Saint-Germain after they bought out a controlling 70% of the shares.

Colony Capital (29%) and Butler Capital Partners (1%) remained on-board the club, but were reduced to nothing but minority shareholders.

The deal in which QIA bought PSG was reportedly worth €50m, which covered an estimated €15-20m in debt and losses of €19m from the 2010–11 season. Post the takeover, PSG went from being straddled with debt to becoming the richest club in France and one of the richest clubs in the world.

Not content with a mere 70% stake, QIA later purchased the remaining 30% as well in 2012 to ensure that they became the sole shareholders of PSG. The club stood at a valuation of €100m post this monstrous takeover.

FACT CHECK: Since QIA’s arrival, PSG has spent a world record €364m for the 2011–2014 period. Try counting the zeros in that!