Sulaiman al-Fahim, a rival for Abramovich

Given that its former owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, is under investigation for corruption and serial human rights abuse, it is not surprising that the new owners of Manchester City football club, the United Emirates Royal family, and particularly the colourful businessman who put the deal together, Sulaiman al-Fahim (pictured), have come under scrutiny.

Sulaiman al-Fahim, 31, claims that none of his own fortune is included in the £210m purchase of the club. However such a sum, even to him, is a mere bagatelle. Routinely described as the Donald Trump of Abu Dhabi – his main interest is real estate - he is ranked 16th in Arabian Business Magazine's list of 100 most powerful Arabs, with a personal wealth said to be ten times that of Chelsea Football club owner Roman Abramovich.

Like Trump, Fahim hosts his own reality show, The Hydra Executives, an Arabic version of The Apprentice, which offers the winner a prize of $1m to invest in property. He is also not shy of publicity and is known for his love of being photographed with the famous and glamorous, among them Pamela Anderson and Demi Moore and Leonardo Di Caprio, with whom he once discussed green issues at a specially arranged lunch.

While Manchester City fans won’t be much impressed by this, his avowed goal to "make Manchester City the biggest club in the Premier League" has gone down well at Eastlands, the club's ground. Supporters are planning to celebrate the team's new-found wealth – at City’s next game – against Chelsea - by wearing Arab headgear.