One of European football 's grandest clubs has a new owner , with an Indonesian billionaire shaking up the established order in Italy 's Serie A. Tycoon Erick Thohir is only the second foreign owner in the Italian first division after acquiring a 70 % stake in three-time European champions Inter Milan . He has added Inter to what is fast become a comprehensive sporting profile after becoming the first Asian to own a stake in an NBA team as part of a consortium which purchased the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011 . Thohir is also one of three partners who own Washington 's Major League Soccer franchise DC United and has now followed in the footsteps of the American consortium , led by Thomas DiBenedetto , which broke new ground by purchasing Roma in 2011 . Blog : Your country needs YOU ! `` Today is a truly special day in my life , '' the 43-year-old Thohir said in a statement . `` I am an entrepreneur , but first of all I am a supporter and a sports lover . I can not wait to put our passion and international experience at the service of this fantastic club and its supporters . '' Inter hope the ownership change will give the club `` a global footprint . '' While a new phenomenon in Italy , foreign ownership is more prevalent in the rest of Europe . The English Premier League has 11 foreign-owned clubs , including Americans in charge at Manchester United , Arsenal and Liverpool and Qatari money funding Manchester City 's continued growth . Qatar also has interests at the top of the French league , with reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain bankrolled by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani . PSG 's rivals Monaco are controlled by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev . Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani at Malaga is the only foreign owner in Spain 's top flight , while there is no overseas ownership in Germany 's Bundesliga . However , there will still be an Italian influence in the corridors of power at Inter 's San Siro stadium with former president Massimo Moratti staying on as a member of the board . `` I think Inter 's history is going to be enriched by a new season thanks to our new international partners who , I am sure , will contribute to a continued string of successes , '' said Moratti , who has seen the team win 23 trophies under his family 's stewardship . `` The new partners ' enthusiasm and pragmatism are certainly a guarantee for the future . '' The takeover reflects Asia 's growing influence in world football , particularly in Indonesia . English clubs Chelsea , Liverpool and Arsenal all play matches in the country during preseason tours , while the Chinese Super League now boasts Italian World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi , who is in place at Guangzhou Evergrande .
Inter Milan purchased by Indonesian billionaire Erick Thohir . The club has been in the hands of a consortium led by former Manchester United executive Thaksin Shinawatra since 2011. Inter become just the second Italian team to come under foreign ownership . A U.S. consortium purchased a controlling stake in Roma in 2011 .