Manchester City have announced the latest addition to their growing portfolio of clubs after completing the acquisition of a second division club in Uruguay, whose average gate is just 250.
Club Atlético Torque, based in Montevideo, was established in 2007 and turned professional in 2012. Having already set up partnerships clubs in New York, Australia and Japan, the City Football Group have been working to expand their portfolio, although it is understood the partnership with Atlético will not include large-scale investment in players as was the case with New York City and Melbourne City.
The club will be used a development opportunity for young players and help to strengthen City’s scouting networks in South America in a similar arrangement to the link with the Dutch side NAC Breda.
City have also announced a collaboration agreement with Atlético Venezuela which will see both parties sharing extensive scouting data.
City’s chief executive Ferran Soriano said: “We are pleased to take this next step in our football development operations.
“The investment in CA Torque enables our organisation to build on existing connectivity in Uruguay and helps to expand the options for identifying and developing local and South American talent.
“This move also provides us with an administrative hub for our pre-existing scouting operations in the region and provides a footprint for City Football Group in South America.
“I am also delighted to start a working partnership with Atlético Venezuela to the benefit of both clubs. The collaboration agreement allows us to share knowledge, insights and hard data, all of which enables us to further complement and increase our scouting and recruitment operations on the continent.”
CA Torque will become the third club in Uruguay to attract investment from Britain. In 2009, the racehorse owner Malcolm Caine purchased Deportivo Maldonado, from whom City bought the goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli last year.
A group of unknown British investors also purchased First Division side El Tanque Sisley last year, subsequently buying the highly rated striker Joaquín Ardaiz and loaning him back to Danubio.
A number of Uruguayan clubs have been investigated recently by Fifa after accusations they have been used in so-called “bridge transfers” designed to circumvent rules on third-party ownership.
City could also now turn their attention to purchasing a club in China having sold 13% stake in City Football Group in 2015 to private equity groups China Media Capital and CITIC Capital.
