UK Govt Officials Flag Concerns Over Sheikh Jassim's Man Utd Bid

UK government officials have raised concerns about Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani's bid for the football club Manchester United.

The officials have raised issues with Sheikh Jassim because of past regulatory failings of the UK subsidiary of the Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), of which Sheikh Jassim is the chairperson.

In response to the government's concerns, Sheikh Jassim pointed out that his bid comes from his Nine Two Foundation, therefore QIB is not directly involved. However, it is speculated that the government might pressure the Premier League to scrutinise the bid if successful.

The UK unit of QIB was fined  £1.4 million by the Bank of England in 2016 for failing to assess and report on the regulation of its financial resources in 2011 and 2012. 

Representatives of Sheikh Jassim refused to provide any more comments about these reports. Sheikh Jassim and other bidders submitted their offers to the Raine Group in March and they are expected to receive a response before Easter.