Manchester United are still locked in negotiations as their turbulent takeover talks continue – and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani remains a name at the centre of a deal that will have significant ramifications for world football.
Sheikh Jassim is one of two primary contenders in the battle to buy the Old Trafford club, rivalling British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with the groups believing they are now the frontrunning bidders in the race.
Both parties lodged initial bids to buy the club, thought to have been worth around £4.5billion, and have since tabled second bids.
Who exactly is Sheikh Jassim?
Sheikh Jassim is the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank and is a member of the Qatari royal family
Before we delve into who Sheikh Jassim is, it’s worth outlining how his bid differs from Ratcliffe’s. Primarily, while Ratcliffe is seeking to buy the 69 per cent stake owned by the Glazer family, Sheikh Jassim wants 100 per cent control of the club.
The mega-rich Qatari is the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) and is also a member of the Qatari royal family. He spent much of his youth in the United Kingdom, going to school in Dorset before studying at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst.
Jassim would graduate as an officer cadet, and would go on to be a board member at one of the world’s biggest investment banks, Credit Suisse, before becoming a banker himself.
That’s where the details around Jassim become hazy. In fact, for someone who could soon possess one of the most famous faces in football, the lack of public knowledge on Sheikh Jassim is startling. It’s not even known whether he’s 40 or 41!
Source:- DailyMail