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US investor plans to take Cádiz CF global: "China is the number one under addressed football market globally"

Cadiz CF

Alamy

Ben Harburg is managing partner of MSA Capital, a global investment firm with more than $2 billion in assets under management.

The US investor has purchased 6.5 per cent of LaLiga club Cádiz CF after an 18-month search for a club.

He plans to turn Cádiz into a "global club" by promoting them in markets where they have historically had little presence and attracting international sponsors and partners.

Harburg says he will leverage his existing relationships in countries like China, where he is based, to partner with the "next wave" of Chinese companies "going global".

23 November 2021 - 2:14 PM

Ben Harburg realises it sounds ambitious.

Cádiz CF is not, after all, one of the clubs who come to mind when you think of those with a global presence.

The LaLiga club from the southwest of Spain have spent most of their 111-year history outside the top flight. Last season’s 12th-place finish – their first season in Primera Division for 14 years – was their joint-best ever.

It is an understatement to say Cádiz does not have the global profile of an FC Barcelona o

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