J League: Manchester City become minority shareholder of Yokohama F Marinos

City Football Group, a holding company that manages a network of clubs under the auspices of Manchester City (Premier League) became a minority shareholder of Yokohama F Marinos (J League, the Japanese first division) on 20/05/2014. The holding company acquired a 20% stake in the Japanese club, according to the British newspaper Daily Mail. The Japanese automaker Nissan remains the majority shareholder of the club.

Yokohama F Marinos is Manchester City's third subsidiary club, after New York City FC (USA) and Melbourne Heart FC (AUS). "We are proud to offer a collaborative and integrated approach to the football, marketing, media and commercial development of all the clubs in the City family," said Ferran Soriano, CEO of City Football Group and Manchester City. "At the same time, we are proud that each of our clubs is firmly rooted and invested in its local community as well as connected and engaged with its supporter base."

City Football Group belongs to Abu Dhabi United Group, a group of investors from the United Arab Emirates, which has owned Manchester City since 2008.

"This…