Abu Dhabi United Group facts for kids

The Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG) is a company from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family. He is also the Vice President of the UAE.

ADUG's main focus is owning most of the City Football Group. This group manages many football clubs around the world. These include famous teams like Manchester City in England. It also includes Mumbai City in India, Melbourne City in Australia, and New York City in the USA. Besides sports, ADUG also owns many properties in the UAE and in Manchester, England.

City Football Group

ADUG was started in the summer of 2008. Sheikh Mansour wanted to buy Manchester City Football Club. He bought the club on September 1, 2008.

At first, Sulaiman Al-Fahim was the public face of ADUG. He made big promises about buying top football players. He even helped bring the famous Brazilian player Robinho to Manchester City. But after one week, Khaldoon al-Mubarak took over his role. Khaldoon al-Mubarak is still in charge today.

With ADUG's support, Manchester City became very successful. In 2011, they won the FA Cup. This was their first major trophy in over 30 years. In 2012, they won the Premier League title. This was their first league win in 44 years.

After Manchester City's success, ADUG started investing in other football clubs. They created a new team called New York City in the USA. They also bought the Australian team Melbourne Heart. This team was later renamed Melbourne City.

To manage all these football teams, the City Football Group (CFG) was created in 2014. CFG became the company that oversees all the football clubs. It also manages other businesses related to football services. ADUG then became the main owner of CFG.

ADUG has sold some of its shares in the City Football Group twice. This happened in 2015 and 2019. As of 2020, ADUG owns 78% of the City Football Group. Since July 2021, another company owned by Sheikh Mansour, Newton Investment and Development LLC, has managed CFG.

Other Business Interests

ADUG also owns many properties. These are in the United Arab Emirates and in other countries. Besides Manchester City Football Club, ADUG has invested a lot of money in Manchester, England. This money has gone into property and education projects.

ADUG also works with the Manchester City Council. They have a ten-year plan to improve the east part of the city. This is the area where Manchester City's stadium is located. They created a company called Manchester Life Development Company. This company plans to build 6,000 affordable homes in the area.

See Also

• Manchester City F.C. ownership and finances
• City Football Group