The world's most prominent human rights organisation have waded into the potential sale of both Liverpool and Manchester United to state-backed entities.
Both the Reds and United are open to investment and outright sale, although Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group are understood to have a preference for a partial sale of their shareholding in the club they have owned since 2010. The Glazer family at United are more keen to expedite a sale, engaging the US investment bank Raine Group to handle the process.
Formal expressions of interest are to be made to Raine by the middle of February for United, while Liverpool have no such time constraints on their own investment search which is being conducted by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley investment banks.
READ MORE: Cody Gakpo lifts lid on Jurgen Klopp 'conversation' and hints at Liverpool position change
Interest from Qatar in both clubs has been rumoured for some time, with both Qatar Sports Investments and the Qatar Investment Authority having been linked. While numerous reports have stated that QIA and FSG have held talks, well-placed financial sources in the US with knowledge of the situation have maintained that is not the case and that no formal expressions of interest have yet been made for Liverpool that have warranted high-level discussion.
That is a situation that could change in the coming weeks with some interested parties likely to step up their interest, but for Manchester United the hard deadline with Raine has seen bidders already emerge, with INEOS founder and United fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe the first to declare his interest formally.
On Tuesday evening a report in the Daily Mail claimed that a bid from Qatar was imminent, potentially in the coming days, while the Guardian stated on Wednesday that the interested party was The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, also a Manchester United fan who has influence in both QSI and QIA.
The interest from Qatar in Manchester United led to a statement to be released from Amnesty International UK, the human rights organisation voicing their concerns over a potential takeover due to the alleged human rights abuses in the Gulf nation relating to such things as migrant labour exploitation and freedom of expression related to LGBTQ and women's rights. All were issues of contention by campaign groups during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
"Coming in the wake of the World Cup and strenuous efforts from the Qatari government to fashion a glitzy new image for the country, it seems highly likely that any Qatari bid for Manchester United would be a continuation of this state-backed sportswashing project," said Peter Frankental, Amnesty UK’s economic affairs director.
"We saw only limited reforms on migrant workers’ rights in Qatar in the lead-up to the World Cup, and there’s been no movement whatsoever in ending the disgraceful criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people or institutional discrimination against women.
"It’s been nearly 18 months since the hugely controversial Saudi takeover of Newcastle United and a Qatari bid for Manchester United would be yet another wake-up call to the Premier League over the need to reform its ownership rules. We’re not necessarily opposed to the involvement of state-linked overseas financial consortia in English football, but the Premier League must urgently strengthen ownership rules to ensure they’re human rights-compliant and not an opportunity for more sportswashing."
The issues around so-called sportswashing, where nations use sporting success and investment as a way to launder reputations, have been a hot topic of discussion for some time, in both the build-up to the World Cup and around the takeover of Newcastle United by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund in 2021.
But the idea of investment into football is one that goes well beyond such notions, according to Professor Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy at SKEMA Business School in Paris when speaking to the ECHO last month.
"It is important to note that for the likes of the Qataris there is a carefully curated strategy for national development.
"They don't buy football clubs or other such assets unless it serves a purpose for a broader industrial and national development strategy.
"Look at Abu Dhabi with Manchester City. They bought a lot of real estate in Manchester and a lot of that was down to using their ownership of Manchester City to diversify revenue streams for a country, like Qatar, that is so dependent on oil and gas. It accounts for some 70 per cent of the Qatari economy and when oil prices fall they all take a hit. For Abu Dhabi all that real estate gives them an income stream in perpetuity.
"They aren't just trophy assets, that is not the case here. Countries in the Middle East are trying to build global networks of trade and influence and having the anchor of ownership of football clubs in the local area helps in that respect. If someone takes either a controlling or minority stake in Liverpool then you have a local asset that will aid what happens with other local decisions and investments."
READ NEXT:
- 'What we’re seeing' - FSG handed potential boost in Liverpool investment search
- FSG bombshell decision in November has split Liverpool fanbase more than ever
- The curious case of Curtis Jones as Liverpool 'transition' leaving him behind
- Liverpool's spine has been ripped out and Jurgen Klopp was powerless to stop it
- Liverpool win left Arsenal 'f*****g embarrassed' and led to unusual club statement
