“A historic club with a strong and proud identity”

Only the official status was missing, which arrived immediately: Palermo Now in the hands of the City Football Group, the galaxy of Sheikh Mansour, owner of Manchester City FC. City Football Group – He reads the official note – It has acquired a majority stake in Palermo FC. The Sicilian team boasts a successful history and represents one of the most famous football clubs in Italy. Dario Meri, a Sicilian and always a fan, will remain president of the club and chairman of the board of directors of Palermo FC.”

Ferran Soriano, CEO of City Football Group, said:Palermo is a great historical club with a strong and proud identity. We will work with Dario Meri to unite his extraordinary work which aims to – over the next few years – For the sustainable growth of Palermo. This is a very special team and our role will be to add value to all the things that make them so special and to constantly improve performance on and off the field, leveraging our expertise and experience. Italy is one of the most exciting and passionate football nations in the world, with a rich history of successes at national and club level, passionate fans and a host of fantastic players. We are pleased that City Football Group has expanded its presence in Italy.”

Dario Meri, President of Palermo Club added: “We are particularly happy to welcome City Football Group to Palermo. We wanted to find the right investor, who has a deep knowledge of football, to help us follow our path. This is what having City Football Group brings as a dowry. We agreed to invest before the end of the season and know we can Relying on a partner who wants to develop Palermo in the right way. I am thrilled to continue working with City Football Group. They understand and respect the culture and traditions of our club. We are carrying out a project together and I am sure all our fans will be proud of it.”

All about Citigroup

Founded in May 2013, City Football Group is the leading private owner and operator of football clubs globally, with full or partial ownership of 12 clubs in major cities around the world – Premier League champions Manchester City in the UK, MLS champions New York City in the US, Melbourne City in Australia, Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan, Montevideo City Torque in Uruguay, Girona in Spain, Sichuan Junio ​​in China, Mumbai City in India, Lommel SK in Belgium, ESTAC Troyes in France, Palermo FC in Italy and Partner Club Bolivar in Bolivia. With 13 offices around the world, CFG also invests in other football-related businesses and projects and acts as a global trading platform for its partners, while pursuing its vision of using football for social good – both locally and globally – through charities, foundations and other social responsibility initiatives. .

Abu Dhabi United Group, the investment vehicle owned by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the largest shareholder in CFG (about 77%). In addition, approximately 12% of CFG’s shares are owned by a group of Chinese institutional investors led by leading Chinese media and entertainment group CMC Inc. And another 10% or so is owned by Silver Lake, the leading technology investment company.