The English Premier League (EPL) is set for massive ownership among the famed ‘top 6’ as after Chelsea’s rushed sale following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which forced Roman Ambramovic to sell the club, it has also emerged that the two most successful English clubs in history – Liverpool and Manchester United are also up for sale.
Recently, the FSG group (Liverpool) and the Glazers family (Manchester United) are looking to sell their club and cash-in for their valued investments. Indian industrialist Mukesh Ambani has been a top name that has been linked as a potential buyer for the two clubs.
However, a report by the Athletic has stated that instead of these two clubs, Ambani is setting his eyes on buying 13-time English champions Arsenal. The North London giants’ majority stakes are with American-based Kroenke family (Kroenke Sports & Entertainment company) that also own the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League (NFL). The same report stated that Ambani’s son Akash is a big fan of the current Premier League table toppers.
“There is an increasing appetite in India for non-cricket investment opportunities in sport. This links to India’s digital and entertainment economy. City Football Group invested in Mumbai, and Mumbai is the digital, entertainment and financial capital of India. If you look at some of the things Abu Dhabi’s wealth fund is investing in, they have invested in digital start-ups in Mumbai. There is a sense India could be the next great frontier. We’ve already had China, and now we have Saudi Arabia,” Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at the SKEMA Business School, said to Athletic on the prospect of Indian investment in football.
Ambani, valued at $90.7billion by Forbes has rich experience in sports as he is the owner of the most successful side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) – Mumbai Indians (MI), who have won the title a total of five times.Ambani-owned Reliance’s subsidiary Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) are the commercial partners of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and play a key role in running the Indian Super League (ISL).
