The chairman of QIB (Qatar Islamic Bank) is set on a journey to buy the Old Trafford club, Manchester United. He is on par with Sir Jim Ratcliffe on the front line of bidding to buy a controlling stake in the club of the auspicious Glazer family. 

Both of the parties initially launched a bid of around £4.5 billion, and the second bidding was around £5 billion. The leading contender, Sheikh Jassim is confident in taking over the Glazer family and bringing forth several changes. Before we dive into this further, let us know who exactly Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani is, a little more. 

Who Exactly Is Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al-Thani?

Born on August 25 1978 into a royal Qatar family, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani is the third-born of the former Emir of Qatar. Sheikh Jassim was the heir apparent of the family but he abdicated his throne to his younger brother, Tamim, as he stated his disinterest in becoming an Emir. His mother’s name is Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned, and she is the second wife of Sheikh Hamid bin Jaber Al-Thani.

His father was the prime minister of Qatar from 2007 to 2013, Sheikh Hamid bin Jassim Jaber al-Thani offered £2.6 million to King Charles which later went to charity with all the legal issues. 

Sheikh Jassim’s Education and Career

Spending most of his teenage and youth in the United Kingdom, he attended Sherborne School in Dorset. He then pursued his graduation from Royal Military Academy, located in Sandhurst. 

After graduation, he was titled the 2nd lieutenant in the Qatari Armed Forces on the 9th of August in 1996. He was then appointed as an heir apparent on 23rd October 1996. But he renounced his rights to his younger brother, Sheikh Tanim, stating his disinterest in the power of the throne and never wanting to be appointed as a crown prince from the beginning. 

Sheikh Jassim has been the honorary president of the Qatar National Cancer Society (QNCS) since 1997. He is also the chair of the higher committee of coordination and follow-up since 1999. Furthermore, he has been the chair of the Supreme Council of Environment and natural resources since 2000. 

Apart from these, he is one of the patrons of Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence and a member of the Board of Trustees of Qatar Foundation. He is a banker and the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB)

On Tuesday, May 2, 2023, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani was appointed as the new head of the government of Qatar. 

Sheikh’s Aim After His Pursuit of Manchester United

Sheikh Jassim’s father was involved in the running of Paris-Saint Germain, as he was the former of Qatar International Authority (QIA). The QIA owns Qatar Sports Authority (QSA) which further owns PSG.

Since the UEFA does not allow a party or an entity to own more than one club, Sheikh firmly responded by stating that he has no connections with QIA to solve the disputes and move forth with his goal of buying Manchester United. 

It is believed that Sheikh has been a lifelong fan of Manchester United since he was a kid and with the Nine Two foundation he established, he is hoping to take over the club from the Blazer family and make certain transfers. The high-profile player Kylian Mbappe was on his list and it is said that if the bid were to be successful he would get Mbappe transferred to Manchester United. Not only him but there are a few other candidates on his list if he achieved his goal. 

Sheikh Jassim’s Net Worth 

Sheikh Jassim joined the bank board of QIB which was established in the year 1982, in his early twenties. He was responsible for most of the rise of QIB to become a popular Islamic Funding Institution. 

As the Sheikh has been maintaining a low profile, it is not easy to dig out much information about his history or his actual net worth. But according to Forbes, Sheikh currently has a net worth of $ 1.1 billion.

Not only this but Forbes even mentioned his family collectively has a net worth of circa £275 billion and his brother, the head of the family solely has a net worth of £1.6 billion. 

Sheikh’s Plans Upon Buying the Manchester United

Sheikh ensures infrastructure development and a debt-free club while investing in every area present in the club, specifically football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience, the communities and the overall club support. 

Sheikh’s vision is to make Manchester United Football Club renowned as the club focused on excellence in footballing and titled the greatest football club in the world.