After purchasing their 13th club, Manchester City’s owners want to aid Brazilian soccer’s financial development.
The newest club to join the City Football Group (CFG) is Bahia.
The team participates in the highest national league of Brazil and has won the championship twice, most recently in 1988.
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“Football is the most popular sport in Brazil, but it hasn’t developed economically as it should, as it did in Europe 20 years ago,” CFG CEO Ferran Soriano remarked.
“The Premier League’s current structure resulted from the way it was set up. We and the other Brazilian clubs will be responsible for expanding the championship in general.
“The potential is astounding. It is the world’s largest source of talent. The chance must be taken, and I wish to assist.
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“We now embark on a journey as partners to help the club realize its full potential,” continued Soriano.
While “staying true to its community, roots, members, and the energy that makes Bahia and Brazilian football some of the most exciting in the world,” he said, the “journey” would take place.
90% of the Salvador-based club’s shares have been purchased by CFG.
Since 2001, Bahia has not placed higher than ninth in the top division.
Soriano urged the club’s supporters to be patient, comparing the necessary work to that which ultimately propelled Manchester City to the top of the English game.
“This is a long-term project,” he declared. “Just take a look at Manchester City, who has captured four of the previous five Premier League titles. To get there, 14 years of work were required.
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Bahia, whose official name is Esporte Clube Bahia, joins Uruguay’s Montevideo City Torque and Bolivia’s Bolivar as the third South American club to join the CFG.
The list is completed by Manchester City, New York City FC, Melbourne City, Yokohama F Marinos, Girona, Mumbai City, Sichuan Jiuniu, Lommel, Troyes, and Palermo.
