Bolsonaro says UAE wants to buy two soccer teams from Brazil

The United Arab Emirates wants to buy two soccer teams from Brazil, to the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced.

Bolsonaro, who recently returned from a trip to the United Arab Emirates, did not specify which teams were suggested by UAE, but stated that he suggested Botafogo of Rio de Janeiro.

‘The Emirates have 12 soccer clubs outside of their country, and they want two teams here in Brazil,’ he said in a weekly social media video message.

Manchester City, coached by Pep Guardiola, is the most well-known team owned by the UAE through its Mubadala Investment Company’s sovereign wealth fund. Eduardo Bolsonaro, the president’s son, said that Manchester City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak was present during the meetings with the Brazilian group.

Bolsonaro enacted a bill this year that permits Brazilian soccer teams to operate like businesses, allowing them to engage in sale negotiations with foreign buyers.