October 10, 2022

The brief from today:

Portuguese football gets a major investor

One of the teams in Portugal’s Primeira Liga welcomes some major investment today. More specifically, the recipient of this fresh windfall will be Braga, as Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) has acquired a 21.67 percent stake in the club. QSI are the sporting investment arm of the Qatari government, and are well known because of their other major project, which was the takeover of Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in 2011. While still not a majority stake, their investment in Braga bodes well for the Portuguese club who have traditionally been behind the other three major sides in Portugal: Porto, Benfica, and Sporting Lisbon. With the World Cup in Qatar taking place next month, many have been wondering what would be next for QSI and football. Some suspected that they may pull back from the spending that has become commonplace at PSG, and some narratives even suggested a potential sale of the club now that positive public relations needed for the World Cup wouldn’t be a priority. Instead, it appears that QSI are doubling down with their interests in the sport. Prior to this, only Red Bull Group and City Football Group—another state owned group—had explored the multi club strategy. It seems that QSI are now venturing down that path with this latest investment. The difference here, however, is that at the moment it remains a minority stake, which isn’t the approach of the two aforementioned groups with their secondary purchases, but the possibility of a further investment by QSI at Braga cannot be ruled out. Braga, currently third in the Primeira Liga standings, have managed to consistently qualify for the Europa League in the past eight years, but they still struggle to usurp the big three’s dominance domestically. QSI’s financial muscle may help shift that dynamic in the future with investments in the squad, but any evidence of this won’t be on display before the January transfer window at the earliest.

QSI appointed Nasser Al-Khelaifi (above) as president of PSG, but their presence at Braga is still unknown

Enock Mwepu’s career cut short

Brighton midfielder, Enock Mwepu, was forced into a very difficult decision today as he announced the abrupt end to his young career. The 24-year-old went public with the tough news after discovering his diagnosis of a hereditary heart condition. Just over two weeks ago, as players departed their clubs to report for international duty, Mwepu did the same to represent his native Zambia. Along with fellow Zambian, Patson Daka, however, both players were sick once they arrived in Bamako to play their match against Mali. Periodically, multiple players within a squad may fall ill, and the suspicion tends to be food poisoning, or more recently COVID. While Daka seemed to recover somewhat quickly from his illness, Mwepu’s issue forced him to be rushed to the hospital shortly after his flight landed, where he would then spend four days. Once discharged from the hospital, he still wasn’t cleared to play for Zambia, and he would head back to club side Brighton for further tests. There was some backlash from Zambian fans as they thought both he and Daka were somehow avoiding playing for the national team, but the truth was Mwepu’s situation was still unresolved. Following extensive tests, the heart issue was later discovered, and unfortunately for Mwepu, continuing his playing career could aggravate the problem and potentially trigger a cardiac arrest. Upon learning this, the harsh reality became clear to the midfielder, and he has now confirmed his playing days are over. Mwepu released a lengthy statement with the announcement, in which he also stated his intention to remain involved with football in a different capacity—something his club side, Brighton, seem willing to help facilitate. Brighton chairman Tony Bloom shared the club’s support in a statement saying, “As a club we will give him all the love, help and support we possibly can to make a full recovery, and then as he decides on the next steps in his life.”

Enock Mwepu, 24, forced to retire early due to a hereditary heart issue