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Prince sells English football club to US consortium

By Gavin Gibbon
Sheffield United Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Sheffield United
Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud: his United World Group has owned Sheffield United since 2013
  • Owned Sheffield United since 2013
  • Sold for undisclosed sum
  • Club at top of Championship

Saudi Arabia’s United World Group, led by Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has sold its interest in the English Championship side Sheffield United.

The club, currently sitting at the top of the table heading into the busy Christmas schedule of fixtures, has been taken over by the American consortium COH Sports for an undisclosed sum.

Prince Abdullah had been at the helm of Sheffield United – also known as the Blades – since 2013, overseeing three promotions to the English Premier League, two relegations and appearances in cup semi-finals.

The Saudi royal initially bought a 50 percent stake in the club from then owner Kevin McCabe, who was forced to sell his remaining shares to Prince Abdullah in January 2020 after a protracted court case.

Sheffield United Ltd, the company run by McCabe and his family, made an offer to buy out the prince for £5 million ($6.27 million).

But the offer also gave the prince’s company, UTB LLC, the option to buy McCabe’s shareholding at the same price, and a counter notice was served in January 2018.

The COH Sports deal, as well as the football club, also includes Sheffield United Women, SUFC Hotel Ltd and all real estate.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia was awarded the 2034 Fifa World Cup, while the Saudi Pro League has become one of the most high profile leagues in the world after a billion-dollar spending spree in recent seasons during which its clubs signed up some of the best footballing talent around.

Saudi Arabia also has more than 900 sports sponsorship deals in place, according to a recent report by Play the Game, a publicly funded sports ethics institute in Denmark. Of these, 194 are football-related.

They include agreements involving Saudi Aramco, the state oil company, to sponsor the 2026 men’s world cup and 2027 women’s world cup, as well as further global age-group tournaments and 17 major competitions in the Concacaf region.

Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund also owns the English Premier League club Newcastle United.

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