Rob Harris · @RobHarris
16th Dec 2014 from TwitLonger
Qatari investment hopes in English Premier League
Full section of interview Qatar sports minister Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali discussing investment in English Premier League
Q: In the UK do people ask you do invest in Premier League clubs?
Al-Ali: I have a lot of interviews (sic) and people doing presentations for me. I'm very open to listen because some are good opportunities. And we in Qatar we look for good opportunities. I meet a lot of them and they do presentations from buying clubs to new clubs to all kinds of sports, and introducing new sports in Qatar. And a lot of opportunities. We are open we listen. Some of them it's not even time for it. And some of the opportunities are really good.
Does Qatar want to own a Premier League club?
Al-Ali: Yes, of course. Personally speaking I like the English Premier League personally speaking. Since I was young I have jerseys. I'm not going to tell you which clubs. I said it once and the guy was upset with me because he was an Arsenal ... I like all jerseys of Tottenham and I had 2 of them
Do you want to be a Premier League club owner?
Of course. Definitely. 100 percent. It's very challenging. I don't know if at that time I would have the energy really to be in the spotlight, especially the English league you are under pressure always.
Q: Why do you want to own a Premier League team?
Here in Qatar we are very very good in taking something and really transforming it into something very very good. We take it to another step. Even if it's good we take it to another step.
And you can see what Paris Saint-Germain for 20 years did not win the championship. With respecting the culture, we became better now understanding the concerns of the people. In any investment really. In real estate, we have now a good experience in England and we understand the concerns and their hopes. We understand that very well. We are learning.
I don't think we are going to stop, we are just going to continue looking for good opportunities. Of course England, the emir was there and of course it's one of our best hubs for Qataris.