Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • منصور بن زايد آل نهيان
Sheikh Mansour in 2013
Vice President of the United Arab Emirates
Assumed office
29 March 2023
PresidentMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates
Assumed office
10 May 2009
PresidentKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Prime MinisterMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Preceded bySultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Minister of Presidential Court
of the United Arab Emirates
Assumed office
1 November 2004
PresidentKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Prime MinisterMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Born (1970-11-20) 20 November 1970
Abu Dhabi, Trucial States
Spouse
  • Alia bint Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1994)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2005)​
Issue
  • Zayed
  • Fatima
  • Mohammed
  • Hamdan
  • Latifa
  • Rashid
HouseAl Nahyan
FatherZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
MotherFatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi
Styles of
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
Reference styleHis Highness
Spoken styleYour Highness

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Arabic: منصور بن زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان; born 20 November 1970), often referred to as Sheikh Mansour,[1][2][3] is an Emirati royal and politician who is the current vice president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, as well as the minister of presidential court and member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi. He is the brother of the current president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan,[4] and is married to Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. A billionaire, through City Football Group he holds stakes in a variety of football clubs, including Manchester City FC.

Mansour is involved in various government-run companies in the UAE. He is chairman of the Ministerial Development Council,[5] the Emirates Investment Authority, and the Emirates Racing Authority. He sits on the Supreme Petroleum Council and the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs.[6] Mansour is a member of the boards of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).[7][8] He is chairman of Mubadala Investment Company,[9][10] the Emirati state-owned sovereign wealth fund.[11] He is chairman of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates.[12]

Mansour is also the owner of the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), an investment company for the Abu Dhabi royal family,[13] that acquired Manchester City Football Club in September 2008. He immediately handed all responsibility and ownership to Khaldoon Al Mubarak and the City Football Group which has overseen a significant transformation at the club since then.[14] The club has won seven top-flight league titles, winning its first title in 44 years and its first Premier League title in 2012. On 21 May 2013, Major League Soccer of the United States announced that its second New York City club, to be called New York City FC, would begin play in the 2015 season and be majority-owned by Mansour in association with brothers Hal and Hank Steinbrenner.[15]

Early life and education

Mansour was born in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi on 21 November 1970, the fifth son of the Emir of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.[3] His mother is Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi and he has five full-brothers: Mohammed, Hamdan, Hazza, Tahnoun, and Abdullah.[16] They are known as Bani Fatima or sons of Fatima.[17]

Mansour attended Santa Barbara Community College as an English student in 1989.[18] He is a graduate of the United Arab Emirates University where he received a bachelor's degree in international affairs in 1993.[18]

Political career

In 1997, Sheikh Mansour was appointed chairman of the presidential office, at which time his father Sheikh Zayed was the president of the UAE. After the death of his father, he was appointed by his eldest half-brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as the first minister of presidential affairs of the United Arab Emirates, following a merger of the presidential office and presidential court. He also served in a number of positions in Abu Dhabi to support his brother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was still the Crown Prince at the time.[19]

He was appointed chairman of the ministerial council for services (now Ministerial Development Council).[5] Since 2000 he chaired National Center for Documentation and Research. In the 2004 reshuffle, he became minister for presidential affairs.[18] In 2005, he became the deputy chairman of the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), chairman of the Emirates Foundation, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. In 2006, he was named the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. In 2007, he was appointed chairman of Khalifa bin Zayed Charity Foundation.[20][21]

Mansour served as the chairman of First Gulf Bank until 2006,[22] and as a member of the board of trustees of the Zayed charitable and humanitarian foundation. Mansour has established scholarship programs for UAE students to study abroad. He is also chairman of the Emirates horse racing authority (EHRA).[3] On 11 May 2009, he was appointed deputy prime minister, retaining his cabinet post of minister of presidential affairs.[23] On 29 March 2023, with the approval of the UAE Federal Supreme Council, the UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a resolution, appointing Mansour as the country's second vice president, to serve alongside Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai.[24][25]

Business portfolio

Mansour is the chairman of the Emirati state-owned Mubadala Investment Company.[9] He was formerly chairman of IPIC. After the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal was highlighted and Khadem al-Qubaisi, who was managing IPIC, was arrested in 2016, IPIC was folded into Aabar Investments. Qubaisi blamed Mansour and the UAE authorities for using him as a scapegoat in the affair.[26][27]

In 2005, he was appointed as a member of the Supreme Petroleum Council.[28] In the same year, he chaired the board of directors of IPIC and became a board member of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA). In 2007, he was appointed chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of UAE.[28]

Mansour has a 32% stake in Virgin Galactic after investing $280 million in the project through Aabar in July 2009.[29][30] Aabar also has a 9.1% stake in Daimler after purchasing the stake for $2.7 billion in March 2009[31] and it was reported that Aabar wishes to increase its stake to 15% in August 2010.[32] He owns the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation (ADMIC) which partnered with British Sky Broadcasting to establish Sky News Arabia – a new Arabic-language news channel headquartered in Abu Dhabi.[33] ADMIC also owns the English-language newspaper The National,[34] and bought a 2.1% stake in pan-European channel Euronews in 2017.[35]

Sport

Mansour is an accomplished horse rider and has won a number of endurance racing tournaments held in the Middle East, and is chairman of the Emirates horse racing authority. He is a strong supporter of Arabian horse racing and the patron of the annual Zayed International Half Marathon competition in Abu Dhabi.[36]

He is the chairman of the Al Jazira sports company and was a leading figure in Abu Dhabi's successful bid to host the FIFA Club World Cup in 2009 and 2010.[37] The company owns Al Jazira Club, which plays football, volleyball, handball, and basketball.[38] The football club won the President's Cup in 2010–2011, 2011–2012 and 2015–2016.[39]

In September 2008, Mansour acquired Manchester City football club from former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. By 23 September 2008, the Abu Dhabi United Group, backed by Mansour, completed their takeover negotiations and the ownership was transferred to them. He also owns the City Football Group, which was founded in 2014 and consists of Manchester City FC, Melbourne City FC, New York City FC, Mumbai City FC, and others. He has only been to two Manchester City games in his time as owner, his first in 2010 and the latest, the 2023 UEFA Champions League final.[40]

Personal life

Sheikh Mansour married Sheikha Alia bint Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed in the mid-1990s.[18] They have one son together, Zayed,[41][19] who married Sheikha Meera bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan in May 2022.[42]

In 2005, Mansour married Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. They have two daughters and three sons: Fatima (2006), Mohammed (2007), Hamdan (2011), Latifa (2014), and Rashid (2017).[43]

Controversy

The Sheikh has received a lot of criticism because of human rights issues in the UAE. He and his club have been accused of sportswashing.[44][45]

The UEFA report, which was produced in 2020 but never published, alleges that £30 million was given to the Manchester City F.C. by an unknown person of in United Arab Emirates, and alleges that the funding came from Manchester City's owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) owned by Mansour.[46]

Sheikh Mansour’s role as the owner of Manchester City fell in jeopardy, as the lawyers of a Ukrainian activist – Rhys Davies of Temple Garden Chambers and Ben Keith from 5 St Andrew’s Hill Chambers – wrote a letter to the UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, asking to investigate whether Mansour assisted the Russian oligarchs in moving their assets to the UAE and evading the sanctions. The lawyers pressed the UK government to investigate Sheikh Mansour’s conduct if he should be subject to the UK financial sanctions. If designated as the involved person, Sheikh Mansour would disqualify as the owner of Manchester City under the Premier League’s updated rules on its owners’ and directors’ test.[47]

Honours

Ancestry

References

  1. ↑ "Articles relating to Sheikh Mansour". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Ogden, Mark (29 April 2013). "Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan expected to secure MLS franchise in New York". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Viner, Brian (14 August 2010). "Sheikh Mansour: The richest man in football". The Independent. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  4. ↑ "Cabinet Members". UAE. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  5. 1 2 "The Ministerial Development Council". uaecabinet.ae. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "Khalifa bin Zayed issues a law to establish the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs". Emirates News Agency. 27 December 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  7. ↑ "ADNOC Board of Directors". ADNOC. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "Board of Directors". ADIA. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Board of Directors". Mubadala. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Mansour bin Zayed chairs Mubadala Investment Company meeting". Emirates News Agency. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  11. ↑ Ennis, Crystal A. (2018). "Reading entrepreneurial power in small Gulf states: Qatar and the UAE". International Journal. 73 (4): 573–595. doi:10.1177/0020702018809980. hdl:1887/71834. ISSN 0020-7020. S2CID 150220133.
  12. ↑ "Manchester City's Owner Helps Usher Russian Tycoons Into the UAE". Bloomberg.com. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "4 ways English champions Manchester City reflect the new world order". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  14. ↑ "Company Overview of Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  15. ↑ Associated Press, Fox Sports Interactive Media (21 May 2013). "Man City, Yankees to own MLS club". Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  16. ↑ "UAE Succession Update: The Post-Zayed Scenario". WikiLeaks. 28 September 2004. Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  17. ↑ "Abu Dhabi's family business". Financial Times. 5 May 2009. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "UAE: Biographies of New Cabinet Members". WikiLeaks. 22 November 2004. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  19. 1 2 Miller, Niamh (27 March 2015). "Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the richest man in soccer". Luxatic. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  20. ↑ "Mansour bin Zayed chairs Khalifa bin Zayed Charity Foundation meeting". Emirates News Agency. 18 June 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  21. ↑ "Speech of the Chairman - His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan". khalifafoundation.ae. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  22. ↑ "HH Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed elected first Gulf bank chairman". First Gulf Bank. 1 March 2006. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  23. ↑ "Cabinet reshuffled; Saif and Mansour become Deputy Prime Ministers". Gulf News. 11 May 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  24. ↑ "UAE President appoints Mansour bin Zayed as UAE Vice President". gulfnews.com. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  25. ↑ "The President and his deputies | The Official Portal of the UAE Government". u.ae. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  26. ↑ "Alleged 1MDB Conspirator Says He Is a Scapegoat for Emiratis". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  27. ↑ "UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA". Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  28. 1 2 "Executive Profile - Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  29. ↑ Ruddick, Graham (28 July 2009). "Sheikh Mansour invests $280m in Virgin Galactic". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  30. ↑ Wray, Richard (28 July 2009). "Abu Dhabi sheikh buys £170m stake in Virgin Galactic". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  31. ↑ Reiter, Chris (22 March 2009). "Daimler Sells Aabar a 9.1% Stake for $4.7 Billion (Update3)". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  32. ↑ Christian, Andrew (30 August 2010). "Aabar wants to increase its 9.1% stake in Daimler to 15%". 4wheels News. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  33. ↑ "Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corp and British Sky Broadcasting form joint venture". Hexus. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  34. ↑ Duffy, Matt J. (27 March 2018). "Media Law in the United Arab Emirates". Google Books. ISBN 9789403500218. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  35. ↑ Coquaz, Vincent; Andraca, Robin (29 November 2020). "Euronews : la chaîne européenne devenue vitrine de Dubaï". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  36. ↑ "Full Zayed marathon next year". Gulf News. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  37. ↑ "Club´s Board of Directors". Al Jazira Sports Club Official Site. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  38. ↑ "Sport Activities". Aljazira Sports Club Official Site. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  39. ↑ "History". jc.ae. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  40. ↑ "Man City buyers complete takeover". BBC Sport. 23 September 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2008.
  41. ↑ Whaling, James (16 December 2017). "Two wives and a megayacht that 'costs £380k to fill': Extraordinary life of Sheikh Mansour, the billionaire bankrolling Manchester City's new age". Mirror. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  42. ↑ Meghraoua, Amel (3 June 2022). "A Private Tour Inside the Emirati Royal Wedding of HH Sheikha Meera bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan". Vogue Arabia. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  43. ↑ "Sheikh Mohammed becomes a proud grandfather". Khaleej Times. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  44. ↑ Lucas, Katherine (9 June 2023). "Man City fans told to remember UAE human rights abuses: 'Ignoring it means you legitimise it'". inews.co.uk.
  45. ↑ "The UAE is trampling human rights. Man City must finally speak out | Manchester City | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com.
  46. ↑ Ziegler, Martyn; Lawton, Matt (29 June 2023). "Man City accused over £30m 'sponsorship' payments". The Times. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  47. ↑ "UK government pressed for answers on Sheikh Mansour and Russians". The Guardian. 6 October 2023. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  48. ↑ ""Honorary British Awards to Foreign Nationals – 2013"" (PDF). gov.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
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