MANCHESTER, England (AP) Qatar has invested in English football for the first time - in the unlikeliest of clubs.
The recipient of Qatari cash is not a globally-recognized Premier League power but a tiny club playing seven divisions below the topflight.
What Sheffield FC lacks in glamor it makes up for in status. From the powerhouses of Barcelona and Manchester United to amateur outfits worldwide, every football team emanates from this club in northern England's steel city.
When Sheffield FC started playing 1857 there was no other team in the world. It was the first.
Now, eager to be associated with the pioneers of football, the country hosting the Middle East's first World Cup has invested 100,000 pounds ($153,000) in Sheffield FC, The Associated Press has learned.