Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the owner of Manchester City, was named vice-president of the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday in a reshuffle of the oil-rich Gulf monarchy’s top ranks.
The 52-year-old will serve as the vice-president to Dubai’s ruler and UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, nearly a year after his brother Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was named president.
The president also appointed his son, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, as the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest of the UAE’s seven emirates — a position that has traditionally represented the next in line to the presidency.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, also known as “MBZ,” and the UAE’s long-time de facto ruler was named president last May after his half-brother Sheikh Khalifa died after being hospitalized for years due to illness.
His appointment sparked speculation about who would succeed him as Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, with either Sheikh Khaled or Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, MBZ’s brother, being tipped.
Tahnoun bin Zayed, the UAE’s national security adviser and chairman of the ADQ sovereign wealth fund, has been named deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi, alongside Hazza bin Zayed, the president’s other brother.
