Our Owners & Us

[S04]

It's an interesting question but, as people have said, we need to get one thing straight. ADUG is merely a company specifically set up in the UK to buy and own Manchester City. It would appear that the funds used to do this have come out of the private wealth of Sheikh Mansour. ADUG has no connection, as far as I am aware, with the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund group that channels public investment funds.

however, the Sheikh appears to be a very shrewd businessman (or at least has very shrewd advisers) and it's entirely possible that transforming one of the most deprived areas of the country into an international destination will generate a very substantial return indeed.

Just a little correction..Although initially an offspring of ADIA, ADUG is a shadow company of The Royal Group which is an investment vehicle owned by the Bani Fatima fraction of the Al-Nahyan family. The Bani Fatima consists of six brothers that together are the most influential people in Abu Dhabi and make most of the decisions there.

And the Bani Fatima are not really businessmen, they are caretakers of their inheritance, stewards of the land and the technocrats that got a vision of a modern country on the arab peninsula, this "modern" country might not be a western version of a "modern" country by any means but they make sure that their people have a good living, and any fundamentalist or politician trying to take power in Abu Dhabi is simply being told to stay put..or else.

So Sheikh Mansour might be the figurehead of ADUG, but in reality others are there as well..City is just his responsability but it´s rather telling that Khaldon Al-Mubarak is Chairman of MCFC, because he serves one master alone..Sheikh Muhammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crownprince of Abu Dhabi, commander of the army and the guy that in reality rules Abu Dhabi on an executive level.

 

[loffers]

Interesting stuff, this overseas expansion into different income streams other than oil is going to ensure the middle east remains as prosperous in 200 years time as it is now. Dubai is now a popular holiday destination and a world class sports host, I think the Sheiks saw the new electric cars and dwindling oil supplies affecting their incomes a while back.
City will have to turn a profit eventually but it seems such a long term investment with lots of vision and planning that there really is no hurry, of course our incredible unrealistic expectation may have been a wee bit surprising to them, instead of trying to quell our hopes they simple spent in 1 year what they planned to spend in 4! God bless em

 

[somapop]

Considering what they 'have been' and what 'they are' involved in - huge sporting & leisure projects - it doesn't really surprise me that a 'Sportcity' with huge potential for growth in the surrounding area was flashing like a beacon on their map. That and a couple more parameters (not least a progressive CC and perhaps a dash of luck?).

 

[joe salford]

I cant help wondering why our Owners chose to invest in MCFC & not a Club with a Bigger Profile .They must have done a lot of Research & thought of something i have not .I am eternaily gratefull that we tick all there boxes .& they have chose us .They are a verry Sucsessful Company & again i am suprised that They are investing Millions in a Venture where they are likley to see verry little Cash Return but as a Brand it might do them a world of Good .I am sure people on here have had the same thoughts from time to time ,so i would love to know other peoples views

cos we are City end of. Whats with all the random CaPiTaLs?

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

It's an interesting question but, as people have said, we need to get one thing straight. ADUG is merely a company specifically set up in the UK to buy and own Manchester City. It would appear that the funds used to do this have come out of the private wealth of Sheikh Mansour. ADUG has no connection, as far as I am aware, with the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund group that channels public investment funds.

however, the Sheikh appears to be a very shrewd businessman (or at least has very shrewd advisers) and it's entirely possible that transforming one of the most deprived areas of the country into an international destination will generate a very substantial return indeed.

Just a little correction..Although initially an offspring of ADIA, ADUG is a shadow company of The Royal Group which is an investment vehicle owned by the Bani Fatima fraction of the Al-Nahyan family. The Bani Fatima consists of six brothers that together are the most influential people in Abu Dhabi and make most of the decisions there.

And the Bani Fatima are not really businessmen, they are caretakers of their inheritance, stewards of the land and the technocrats that got a vision of a modern country on the arab peninsula, this "modern" country might not be a western version of a "modern" country by any means but they make sure that their people have a good living, and any fundamentalist or politician trying to take power in Abu Dhabi is simply being told to stay put..or else.

So Sheikh Mansour might be the figurehead of ADUG, but in reality others are there as well..City is just his responsability but it´s rather telling that Khaldon Al-Mubarak is Chairman of MCFC, because he serves one master alone..Sheikh Muhammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crownprince of Abu Dhabi, commander of the army and the guy that in reality rules Abu Dhabi on an executive level.

Thanks for the correction and a very interesting post. I was also wrong about ADUG being a UK company. Manchester City Limited is the UK holding company and ADUG is an Abu Dhabi-based company.

 

[cyberblue]

Some great points made on here<br /><br />-- Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:06 pm --<br /><br />

I cant help wondering why our Owners chose to invest in MCFC & not a Club with a Bigger Profile .They must have done a lot of Research & thought of something i have not .I am eternaily gratefull that we tick all there boxes .& they have chose us .They are a verry Sucsessful Company & again i am suprised that They are investing Millions in a Venture where they are likley to see verry little Cash Return but as a Brand it might do them a world of Good .I am sure people on here have had the same thoughts from time to time ,so i would love to know other peoples views

cos we are City end of. Whats with all the random CaPiTaLs?

Cheers for the lesson in Grammar

 

[chedinho]

Think we've got the right chairman too - this is from today's Wall Street Journal:

Mubadala Swings to Full-Year Profit ABU DHABI—Mubadala Development Co. said Monday it swung to a profit in 2009, as revenue rose and the value of its investments rebounded.

The Abu Dhabi government investment firm with stakes in luxury car marker Ferrari and General Electric Co. reported total comprehensive income of 8.6 billion U.A.E dirhams ($2.34 billion) compared with a loss of 19.8 billion dirhams a year earlier. Revenue in 2009 nearly doubled to 13.1 billion dirhams, while total assets grew by 75% to 88.5 billion dirhams.

."Despite a challenging global economic environment, Mubadala has performed well both financially and operationally, making significant progress on a number of landmark projects," said chief executive Khaldoon Al Mubarak in a statement.

Mubadala, one of few government firms to publish financial results, invests strategically on behalf of the Abu Dhabi government. It is building hubs of industry and expertise—such as in aerospace and health care—as part of Abu Dhabi's move to diversify its economy away from a reliance on oil revenue.

Last bit should please Platini - if they can do that with an Emirate, then making City self-sufficient should be easy! :-)

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.s1jobs.com/newsandguides/taqa-plans-expansion-in-north-sea-oil---.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.s1jobs.com/newsandguides/taq ... il---.html</a>

 

[S04]

Think we've got the right chairman too - this is from today's Wall Street Journal:

Mubadala Swings to Full-Year Profit ABU DHABI—Mubadala Development Co. said Monday it swung to a profit in 2009, as revenue rose and the value of its investments rebounded.

The Abu Dhabi government investment firm with stakes in luxury car marker Ferrari and General Electric Co. reported total comprehensive income of 8.6 billion U.A.E dirhams ($2.34 billion) compared with a loss of 19.8 billion dirhams a year earlier. Revenue in 2009 nearly doubled to 13.1 billion dirhams, while total assets grew by 75% to 88.5 billion dirhams.

."Despite a challenging global economic environment, Mubadala has performed well both financially and operationally, making significant progress on a number of landmark projects," said chief executive Khaldoon Al Mubarak in a statement.

Mubadala, one of few government firms to publish financial results, invests strategically on behalf of the Abu Dhabi government. It is building hubs of industry and expertise—such as in aerospace and health care—as part of Abu Dhabi's move to diversify its economy away from a reliance on oil revenue.

Last bit should please Platini - if they can do that with an Emirate, then making City self-sufficient should be easy! :-)

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.s1jobs.com/newsandguides/taqa-plans-expansion-in-north-sea-oil---.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.s1jobs.com/newsandguides/taq ... il---.html</a>

Mubadala makes what you might call "strategic" investments for Abu Dhabi..High-tech companies like Amtel, space-technology, green-energy etc etc.
It´s getting it´s orders from aforementioned H.H Sheikh Mo bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
Sheikh Mansour on the other hand handles investments in the petro-chemical business and such thru IPIC if you are interested in their many duties..The Bani Fatima are no idle rich, they are bright and hardworking with a lot of ideas.