Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber AlThani, known as HBJ, is a former prime minister of Qatar who is also arousing interest in the world of Italian football. The AlMirqab family office, which manages the sheikh's assets, has expressed its desire to acquire a minority stake in Inter, in particular for a minority stake in the Nerazzurri club. Although the proposal is still being evaluated and is not a concluded negotiation, the idea has attracted the attention of the Italian media and sports authorities.
HBJ, born in Doha in 1959, has had an important political career: from 1992 to 2013 he held the position of Foreign Minister, then Deputy Prime Minister and finally Prime Minister of Qatar. During this period he led the emirate's transformation into an economic and diplomatic power, participating in mediation negotiations in several international crises, including Palestinian reconciliation and the border dispute between Djibouti and Eritrea. At the same time, it has promoted a global investment strategy, with operations ranging from the purchase of Harrods in London to the investment in Barclays, as well as stakes in the luxury hotel sector through Constellation Hotels.
After his government term ended in 2013, HBJ continued to manage his interests through a network of private companies. According to Forbes, his personal fortune exceeds $5 billion. In recent months, the Italian area has become a focal point for its activities: AlMirqab purchased 80% of a property in via MonteNapoleone8 in Milan for around 1.1 billion euros, and Constellation Hotels acquired VillaCertosa, the historic Sardinian residence of the Berlusconi family, for an estimated value of 350 billion euros.
The potential interest in Inter arises from verbal contacts initiated by AlMirqab with Oaktree, the company that holds the minority share of the club. If the proposal were to materialize, HBJ's entry into the Nerazzurri shareholding would represent an investment in a sector different from that traditionally managed by the sheikh, but which could still be in line with his real estate interests, especially in view of the project for the new stadium in Milan. For now, however, interest remains exploratory and it will be necessary to wait for further developments to understand if it will transform into a real investment operation.