It created a little stir on social media but that is about it. On the surface, there is no real link between Garoppolo and the 49ers to PSG but if you dig a bit deeper, you discover a possible link.
First, you need to understand who owns the 49ers which would be Dr. John York.
The vast majority stakeholder of Leeds is Aser Group Holding, which was founded by businessman Andrea Radrizzanni who’s also the club’s chairman. You can see the whole ownership structure on Leeds’ official site .
Well, for months now, there’s been speculation that Qatar Sports Investments, the company that owns PSG, has been investigating avenues where they could invest in Leeds.
In a recent interview with The Times (through Target ), Radrizzani explained that he considers an investment in Qatar has”the chance to allow this club [Leeds] to compete with Manchester City.”
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, PSG’s president, is good friends with Radrizzani and both were seen at the Parc des Princes last November during the club’s match against Club Brugge from the UEFA Champions League.
Here,’s where everything comes together – the 49ers, Leeds, and PSG.
On Sunday, journalist Nicolò Schira shared a photograph on social media that revealed Radrizzani dining with Al-Khelaifi. It is not clear where the duo is but it is possible they are in San Francisco.
The previous afternoon, Radrizzani shared a tweet of Leeds players wanting the 49ers nicely in their game against the Packers and he has been proven to jump on a trip into the Golden Gate City to support the 49ers.
Based on The Athletic, 49ers Enterprises gained their 12 percent stake in Leeds for approximately £11 million and the NFL franchise could be an integral component in any transfer for possession.” Possibly the trio of executives and sports teams rallying around each other suggests a mega-deal might get done.
Leeds now sits in second place in the EFL Championship supporting West Bromwich Albion. Gaining promotion into the Premier League would surely boost QSI’s interest in investing as the advertising opportunities would make it a worthwhile venture and of course the lucrative television deals.
Time will tell if all the dots will be connected. For now, it is all just an interesting coincidence.
