Confirmations have arrived about the interest of the Bahrain fund in the Inter FC team. Here’s who the future president could be.
For some months there have been rumors surrounding the future of Inter FC and the Zhang family. Several names have been linked and would have expressed interest in purchasing the Italian club. It is no mystery that the Zhang family has mandated two important business groups to look for possible investors, primarily to enter as minority shareholders but, faced with an offer consistent with the actual value of the company, Zhang could also step back.
The loan from Oaktree hangs over the head of the Chinese family which will expire in May 2024. By that date, they will have to pay 400 million euros (419 million USD) to the American group or try to negotiate a new agreement to avoid losing control of Inter. This is why it will be a hot few months for Inter on the corporate front. Among the many names that have expressed interest in purchasing the Milanese club, one of the strongest at the moment is that of the Bahrain fund called Investcorp. The group, born in 1982, also expressed interest in AC Milan a few years ago. The head of the Investcorp fund is Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi.
Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi, who he is and how much he earns
Rumors from the East have Investcorp extremely interested in Inter FC. The fund is already negotiating with the management of the Italian club for a majority stake. The company is valued by the Zhang family at 1.3 billion euros (1.36 billion USD) and apparently, Investcorp would be willing to meet their demands. Moreover, with its latest prestigious results on a European level, the Italian club has greatly increased its popularity and value. Zhang knows very well that if he has to sell, this is the best time to do it and to extract a nice capital gain. Even Inter’s economic accounts are now almost in order as the liabilities have been reduced to 80 million euros (83.9 million USD).
The Investcorp fund originated in the Arabic Peninsula in 1982 with its headquarters in Bahrain. Its assets are currently valued at 50 billion euros (52.4 billion USD) and is made up of several investors, including Mubadala Investment Company which holds 20%, founded in 1982 by the late Nemir Kirdar.
The executive chairman since 2008 is Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi. Born in Oman where he still lives with his family, Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi is described as a person who turns everything he touches into gold. Al Ardhi is a retired Air Vice Marshal who joined the Royal Air Force of Oman in 1978 and was later appointed Chief of the Omani Air Force.
He holds a Bachelor of Military Science from the Royal Air Force UK Staff College in Bracknell, UK, and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard. He also graduated from the Royal Air Force Military Academy in Cranwell, also in the United Kingdom, and holds an additional academic qualification from the National Defense University in Washington D.C. He was also the author of three books and currently runs a personal blog where he publishes his writings. He loves mountain hiking and climbing, with Mount Kilimanjaro being his best achievement so far.
Other than Investcorp he is also present on several important boards such as that of the International Advisory Board of The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. He also serves on the boards of the World Economic Forum, the Harvard Kennedy School Dean, and the Harvard Center for Public Leadership. He is also currently president of the Muscat Stock Exchange and Sohar International Bank, one of the most important financial institutions in Oman.
A truly very active figure at the head of a fund that certainly has great financial resources. Those who know him well are convinced that if he bought Inter he would be ready to make important investments to win in Italy and Europe by growing the team.
Original article published on Money.it Italy 2023-09-30 09:23:12. Original title: Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi, chi è e quanto guadagna il presidente di Investcorp (che vuole comprare l’Inter)
