Aston Villa’s billionaire owner moves to Abu Dhabi fuelling unlikely alliance with Man City

Increasingly strong alliance with Emirates could prove particularly useful for City Football Group in the battle against Premier League.

Manchester City seeks allies in their Premier League rivalry, so a new tenant in Abu Dhabi may face some opposition.

Nassef Sawiris, Egypt’s wealthiest person, is relocating his family office after announcing a new “long-term commitment” to the UAE capital in December.

With his full investment in Aston Villa, the City Football Group may benefit from a closer collaboration with the emir. The Birmingham team, last season’s surprise Champions League qualifiers, is expressing itself off the pitch as well, putting around ideas about English football regulation. Flush with confidence with Unai Emery’s fourth-place finish, the club’s board boldly demanded an increase in permissible losses at the league’s AGM on Thursday. The suggestion was ultimately approved by only one other club, but whatever sense of alienation Villa is experiencing comes at an ideal time for City, which is badly in need of allies after declaring civil war.

Villa’s voting patterns have shown little support for City’s position this season. Unlike Newcastle, Chelsea, and Everton, they have not supported City’s efforts to limit associated-party transactions.

However, there are indications that the clubs are moving closer together, not least because Villa’s on-field performances have propelled the club to new heights of financial success.

V Sports, Sawiris’ joint venture with American billionaire Wesley Edens, has had complete control of Villa since 2019, and the holding company is one of the league’s lesser-known multi-club regimes, with ties to Portuguese club Vitoria SC and partnerships with teams in Spain, Egypt, and Japan. In what could be critical to City’s lobbying efforts, the Egyptian billionaire is said to have a close relationship with City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, which is only anticipated to strengthen as he spends more time in his new adopted working home.

Sawiris’ NNS Group is one of several worldwide investors who have established themselves in the emirate. Sawiris is the chairman of Dutch chemical firm OCI NV, which has already listed its joint fertiliser business with Adnoc in the emirate for late 2021.

“I am delighted to announce our long-term commitment to the UAE and ADGM [Abu Dhabi Global Market], in particular,” Sawiris stated in December. “The importance of the UAE to the worldwide financial ecosystem makes NNS believe the transition of its key activities to the UAE will contribute to the further development and growth of its portfolio and core activities.”

Villa are not believed to be the unnamed club that fully supports City’s major arbitration hearing on spending limitations next week. However, as Sawiris, the £5 billion businessman, integrates into his new working environment, his history and free-market inclinations make him a potential target as the City pulls every lever at its disposal.