Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12246 – APOLLO FUNDS / CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID) – Candidate case for simplified procedure
Date: 2026-01-13
Institutions: Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
Subjects: economic concentration, investment company, merger control, professional sport, public limited company, sports body








C_202600252EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2026/252


13.1.2026






Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.12246 – APOLLO FUNDS / CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID)
Candidate case for simplified procedure
(Text with EEA relevance)
(C/2026/252)


1.   
On 18 December 2025, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).
This notification concerns the following undertakings:






—


Apollo Capital Management, L.P. (‘Apollo Funds’, United States), controlled by Apollo Global Management, Inc. (United States),










—


Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (‘Club Atlético de Madrid’, Spain), controlled by Holding de Inversiones Atléticas, S.A. (‘HIA’, Spain).




Apollo Funds will acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation sole control of the whole of Club Atlético de Madrid.
The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.


2.   
The business activities of the undertakings concerned are the following:






—


Apollo Funds is a global alternative asset manager which offers investment management and financial planning services to individual and institutional investors,










—


Club Atlético de Madrid is a public limited sports company which participate in Spanish and international football competitions. It also owns a football club in Mexico and one in Canada and operates the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid and the surrounding Parque Metropolitano area.






3.   
On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.
Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified treatment for certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings (2), it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.


4.   
The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed concentration to the Commission.
Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. The following reference should always be specified:
M.12246 – APOLLO FUNDS / CLUB ATLÉTICO DE MADRID
Observations can be sent to the Commission by email or by post. Please use the contact details below:
Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu

Postal address:





European Commission




Directorate-General for Competition




Merger Registry




1049 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË







(1)  
            OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2)  
            OJ C 160, 5.5.2023, p. 1.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/252/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)