Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani's father, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, has claimed that any takeover of Manchester United would be seen as an investment rather than a means to advertise Qatar.
As part of his bid to buy United, Sheikh Jassim has promised to fund improvements to the club, including financing improvements to Old Trafford and Carrington. However, in an interview that was conducted before his son's bid was made official and published by Bloomberg, Sheikh Hamad, the former Qatari prime minister, appeared sceptical about the opportunity to invest in United.
He explained: "I am not a football fan. I don’t like this investment. Maybe it will work well. But you know, some of my sons like this, they always discuss it with me. They’re pushing hard. This isn’t my specialty. Let me put it like this: I am an investor. If it will one day be a good investment, I will think about it. I will not look at it as something you do just as an advertisement."
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Sheikh Hamad also said he was not in favour of Qatar's bid for the World Cup, lodged during his premiership which spanned between 2007 and 2013. However, he has since admitted that it was the right decision for the Middle Eastern country.
"If it was my choice, I wouldn’t have done it at that time," he added. "When I was prime minister and this idea came to his Highness, the Father Emir, and his crown prince at the time, Sheikh Tamim, they knew that I was against it.
"Because I thought that’s a lot of money and effort that will be spent. We could spend it on something else that’s good for the people and the country.
"But if you ask me now, I will tell you there was a lot of positive outcomes. And the positive outcome was not only putting Qatar on the map.
"Look at the people who visited. I knew many from the business community, from all over the world. They came, some of them for the first time. They brought their families."
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