Leo Messi, Paris Saint-Germain and Carlos of England do not have many things in common, after all, football is of very little interest (if anything) to the heir to the British crown. But appearances are deceiving. Both the Argentine footballer and the Prince of Wales and the Parisian club are very attracted to money, and they do not care that it comes from Qatar and from a character like Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim bin Jaber al Zani.
The sheikh with the endless name, former prime minister and foreign minister of his country, as well as former director of the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, is one of the richest and most influential men in the world, with an estimated fortune of some 1.2 billion euros. That he is behind the ownership of the Parisian club is already controversial, because he has made practically unlimited funds available to PSG, which makes the effectiveness of the rules of financial fair play in the world of the ball questionable. Everything has been said about the acquisition of Messi. But one thing is that the greenbacks rule in the world of football, their origin aside, and another that they do it – or try to do it – in the house of the Windsors.
Powerful gentleman, don money. Prince Charles is the subject of strong criticism these days in the United Kingdom after it was revealed that on three separate occasions, between 2011 and 2014, he received three million euros from Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim at his official residence in Clarence House, one of them in a suitcase and another in a bag from the luxurious department store Fortnum
Despite the fact that the thing has a strange whiff, Carlos's advisers assure that there has been no illegality, the money was a donation from the sheikh for the prince's charitable organizations (which help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and ex-convicts), and income was duly recorded in accordance with current regulations. But in the past, accusations have been made that Elizabeth II's son helped obtain noble titles and British nationality to those who owe him money, and there is pressure for an investigation by Scotland Yard (that if he has allowed Boris Johnson to get out with only a fine of one hundred euros from the illegal parties in Downing Street, is not exactly going to paper over the heir to the crown). In any case, it is a somewhat embarrassing situation.
Carlos may have been naive, arrogant or something more serious. What is clear is that he does not hesitate to get involved in politics and use his influence. He has provoked Johnson's wrath by describing his decision to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as immoral and, as has just emerged, he pressured John Major's government in his time to exempt the Duchy of Cornwall, from whose benefits he perceives. 25 million euros per year, from the responsibilities of a law that forced landlords to sell properties to their tenants (he is one of the largest in the country, with 52,000 hectares in twenty counties). The ministers, fearful of offending the Crown and provoking a constitutional crisis, unhesitatingly complied with his wishes.
Sheikh Hamid bin Jassim is known by his initials. Do not confuse him with former US President Lyndon B. Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, and who was shouted LBJ, LBJ, how many children did you kill today? (“How many children have you killed today?”, which rhymes in English). Although human rights are not exactly one of the strengths of the Qatari regime, what bin Jassim is asked is HBJ, HBJ, what have you bought today? His nickname is the owner of London, because when he headed the sovereign wealth fund of the Arab emirate he acquired the Harrods department store, the Shard skyscraper, the Olympic Village and hotels such as Hyde Park Lane and the Intercontinental.
To say that he owns London is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. But he is one of the masters of PSG, Messi's patron, and Prince Carlos has been in the boat. Because nobody gives anything for free, let alone three million euros...
