Qatari group wants to buy Trabzonspor

Trabzonspor might have a new owner soon after reports emerge claiming a Qatari conglomerate has offered to buy the club.

A conglomerate belonging to the Qatari Royal Family has offered $250 million for 50% ownership of Trabzonspor football club, according to reports which aired on Al Jazeera television.

The Qatar-Trabzon link has been evident for quite some time now since Trabzonspor’s new stadium was partially funded by a Qatari businessman. In addition to this, the club’s sponsor is Qatari National Bank, which can be seen on the front-center part of the jersey.

Muntag Al Gafy, one of the richest businessmen in Qatar, has been following and studying Trabzon and the city’s football club Trabzonspor for one and a half years.

An official statement was made by the club’s management saying no decision has been made by the board of directors.

Trabzonspor have been hit by financial hard-times this season as their debt levels continue to grow with each passing month. In a statement the club made to the Turkish Public Disclosure Platform (KAP in Turkish), it revealed that their debt has increased to 358 million Turkish Liras (approx. €76.8 million) as of November 2017 and they have lost 149 million Turkish Liras (approx. €32 million) within the last six months.