Football

Bahia added to CFG’s roster, Manchester City have 12 sister clubs

May 5, 2023 4:32 pm

With the exception of Africa, City Football Group have their roots everywhere. This reach increased in Brazil as they welcomed Bahia to their family. Including Manchester City, their roster stands at thirteen professional football clubs.

CFG acquired 90% stake in the Serie B club after a landmark vote. More than 13 thousand members of the Bahiaço voted, with 98.6% giving their approval for the takeover. A Football Joint-Stock Company (Bahia SAF) has now been created for future investments by CFG in EC Bahia.

While the beautiful game is rampant in Brazil, the structure of the association lags behind the more established European nations. CEO of City Football Group, Ferran Soriano, revealed their plan is to bring it to par, strengthening Bahia at the grassroots level.

“In Brazil, football is the number one sport but it’s not developed as it should from the economic point of view,” said CFG boss Ferran Soriano.

“Today, the Premier League is what it is due to how it was structured. It will depend on us and the other Brazilian clubs to grow the championship in a general way.

“The potential is spectacular. It is the greatest source of talent in the world. The opportunity cannot be lost and I want to help. We now begin a journey as partners to help the club reach its full potential.”

All Eyes of Manchester City

As the CFG balloons, Manchester City remains their crown jewel. Pep Guardiola’s charges are on the brink of history, favourites to complete the elusive treble. They have their foot in the door as they fight on all fronts.

They have a final meeting with Manchester United in the FA Cup and take on the challenge of Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final. In the Premier League, they have a one-point lead over Arsenal and have a game in hand.

Fatigue is catching up with them and it can derail their chances of etching their names in the history books. Guardiola acknowledged the fast turnaround in games and is focused on giving their maximum effort at each hurdle in this stage of the campaign.

“There’s a lot of games and a lot of tension,” Guardiola said. “I see the team really tired after the demands from West Ham and Fulham. I have to see how the players recover, just three days from the previous game.

“I will be focussed on how they are physically and mentally for this game. After, Madrid. The Premier League is so nice, it’s important to go four points in front of Arsenal, really important. All focus is on the game tomorrow.”

Guardiola wary of Allardyce effect

City take on the challenge of Leeds United, who will be led by Sam Allardyce from the dugout. The 68-year-old manager has boasted about his footballing experience ahead of the game and Guardiola admits he can have an impact on the Whites’ dwindling performances.

“Always there is an impact of a new manager on the players for the first one or two games,” Guardiola said. “Every team is playing for important things. Of course, for Leeds to stay here, the impact is always huge.

“I don’t know how they play, we don’t have any info, we will have to adapt quickly after five, 10 minutes. We can imagine what he tries to do. It’s a massive, important game for us…

“When you don’t have information on the opponent, you don’t focus much on them. Focus more on you. You have to think about your team. We analyse the West Ham game to help us with the next game.”

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