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Majid Al Futtaim (Pictured, second left) is somewhat of a recluse in regards to being in the public eye.
Rumours are circulating today that there is a Middle Eastern investor interested in Aston Villa. While the club itself continues to be in financial trouble, reportedly losing 5 million pounds a month, this could be the last ditch effort of Dr. Tony to secure some hefty investment into Aston Villa.
It has been widely rumoured that Majid Al Futtaim is the investor in question. Al Futtaim is a bit of recluse in terms of information, but there are a few things that we at The Claret & View understand.
Al Futtaim founded entertainment and retail dynamo Majid Al Futtaim Holding, known in financial circles as MAF, in 1992. MAF operates 21 malls and 12 hotels, including Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. MAF had over £6 billion pounds in revenue gained and over £580 million pounds in profits gained in 2016. Al Futtaim and select family members who sit on MAF’s board of directors, according to Forbes, have a net-worth of around £3.15 billion pounds.
While the idea of yet another foreign investor at this trying time for Aston Villa would put a smile on the face of any tried and true Villa supporter, any type of financial backing at this stage would not make the short-term problems correlated with Financial Fair Play disappear.
It’s a sad state of affairs but a cash injection does not mean Villa won’t have to sell players. The wage bill at AVFC is extraordinarily high for a Championship club and the effects of it are now being shown the spotlight.
If there were to be investors at this stage, it would be purely to make sure the club was running on stable ground. A cash flow from any investor at this stage would merely be to stave off the ‘tax bill’ drama of a few weeks ago happening again, paying players wages and maintaining Villa Park. Any investment worth it’s weight in sugar would want assurances that the club would do all it could to alleviate unnecessarily financial constraints.
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Words by Mark Jirobe (@VillaMarkPGH) // Follow us on Twitter @claretandview
