City Football Group to expand operations in South America

The City Football Group the company responsible for owning Manchester City and a host of other football clubs all over the world are to expand their network into South America with the purchasing of Bahia.

Bahia play in the Brazilian league and are a club with a significant history. Based in Salvador, Bahia are the only club from the region to win two national titles and have an immense following. The City Football Group who own New York City, Melbourne City, Mumbai City, Girona and Yokohama have ambitious plans for the Brazilian side.

The deal, although yet not concluded is set to be structured over three years and in total will cost the Football Group an estimated £108 million.

That’s not all, according to the reports Bahia are set to become the Groups second biggest club after Manchester City.

Ownership models like the one the City Football Group operate under are becoming more visible in todays game. A delicate issue, there are many retractors to the likes of City and Red Bull as many believe the owning of multiple clubs can lead to imbalances in both the player and manager markets.

Time will tell what this deal will do to Bahia, the Brazilian league and South American football as a whole. But for fans of the club it looks set to be an exciting new period both on and off the pitch.