EUROPEAN COMMISSION

DG Competition

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004

MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION

Date: 14/02/2024

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32024M11438

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 14.2.2024 C(2024)1058 final

PUBLIC VERSION

NNS UK INVESTMENTS LTD 197 Arch. Makariou III Avenue, Gala Tower, 1st Floor 3030 Limassol Cyprus

A-AV, LLC 40 Morris Avenue Bryn Mawr PA 19010 United States of America

ASTON VILLA INVESTORS LLC 1209 Orange Street Wilmington Delaware 19801 United States of America

Dear Sir or Madam,

(1)(1) On 15 January 2024, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation, by which A-AV, LLC (“Atairos”, Cayman Islands), controlled by Atairos Partners, L.P., NNS UK Investments Ltd (“NNS UK”, Cyprus), controlled by NASA Private Trust Company Limited (Cayman Islands) as trustee for UK Trust, and Aston Villa Investors LLC (“AVI”, Delaware, United States), controlled by Mr. Wesley R. Edens, will acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control

1() OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’). With effect from 1 December 2009, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (‘TFEU’) has introduced certain changes, such as the replacement of ‘Community’ by ‘Union’ and ‘common market’ by ‘internal market’. The terminology of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision.

2() OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3 (the ‘EEA Agreement’).

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË – Tel. +32 22991111

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(2)of V Sports S.C.S. (“V Sports”, Luxembourg), currently jointly controlled by AVI and NNS UK, by way of purchase of shares. ()

(2) The business activities of the undertakings concerned are the following:

-- Atairos is an independent strategic investment company with offices in New York and Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Atairos is an investor and partner in, amongst others, the leisure, sports, and live entertainment sectors, having no investments in the football or sports sectors in the UK or Europe;

-- NNS UK is the investment vehicle of UK Trust in V Sports,

-- AVI is the investment vehicle for Mr. Wesley R. Edens’s interest in V Sports,

-- V Sports is a holding company that indirectly holds 100% of the equity in Aston Villa FC Limited and Aston Villa Women’s Football Club, and a minority, non-controlling interest in the Portuguese football club Vitória Sport Clube – Futebol, S.A.D.

(3)(3) After examination of the notification, the European Commission has concluded that the notified operation falls within the scope of the Merger Regulation and of paragraph 5(b) and (c) of the Commission Notice on a simplified treatment for certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. ()

(4)(4) For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified treatment, the European Commission has decided not to oppose the notified operation and to declare it compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation and Article 57 of the EEA Agreement.

For the Commission

(Signed) Olivier GUERSENT Director-General

3() OJ C, C/2024/1222, 31.01.2024.

4() OJ C 160, 5.5.2023, p. 1 (the ‘Notice on a simplified treatment’).