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NEWCASTLE SET TO LEAD THE ALTERNATIVE ‘PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE’

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Newcastle are closing in on a major takeover deal that could see them top the table for the wealthiest owners in the Premier League.

Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) is looking to take over the Magpies from Mike Ashley in a £300million transaction.

The proposed Saudi Arabian deal would see Manchester City, one of the most valuable sporting franchises in the world, knocked off top spot.

Topping the Premier League rich list is quite the feat as England’s top-flight generates 72 per cent more revenue than its nearest competitor, the Bundesliga in Germany. 

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The English Premiership wealth table

Sportsmail has ranked the owners of every club by their estimated wealth based on Newcastle’s lucrative takeover going through…

1. NEWCASTLE – SAUDI ARABIA PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND (£320BN)

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British brothers Simon and David Reuben – billionaire property developers with North-East links – are said to be taking a 10 per cent stake in the club – but the big money is arriving from Saudi Arabia.

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Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) is looking to take over Newcastle for £300 million

That 10 per cent for the Reuben brothers will be the stake that Amanda Staveley is currently holding.

While the remaining 80 per cent will be taken by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is said to control assets worth £320bn.

2. MANCHESTER CITY – SHEIKH MANSOUR (£23.3BN)

Sheikh Mansour has turned Manchester City into one of the world’s biggest sporting franchises having taken the club over in 2008.

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Sheikh Mansour has spent more than £1.6bn over the first decade of owning the Manchester City

Since arriving to replace former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, City have gone on to win four English Premier League titles, four League Cups and two FA Cups.

Such success has caused City Football Group’s value to skyrocket to £4.8bn – making them one of the most valuable sporting franchises in the world.

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Mansour, the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, has spent more than £1.6bn over the first decade of owning the club.

He is chairman of International Petroleum Investment Company and also has a stake in Richard Branson’s space tourism programme, Virgin Galactic.

3. CHELSEA – ROMAN ABRAMOVICH (£9.6BN)

Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for £140m when the club was on the brink of bankruptcy. 

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Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for £140m during their financial difficulty

The 51-year-old billionaire has transformed the English outfit into one of the biggest and best clubs in the world through his enormous investment in the squad.

With a portfolio of assets worth £9.6bn, he has earned the reputation as one of the richest men on the planet.

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Abramovich made his fortune in the oil business, selling his stake in the Russian gas company Gazprom in 2005. He still owns stakes in steel and nickel companies among his other business ventures.

4. ARSENAL – STAN KROENKE (£6.8BN)

The Missouri billionaire is a real estate and sports mogul with an international portfolio. He married Walmart heiress Ann Walton in 1974 and later founded Kroenke Group in 1983.

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Stan Kroenke first became involved in Arsenal in 2007 before taking over control in 2011

His sports empire also includes the LA Rams (NFL), Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Rapids (MLS), Colorado Avalanche (NHL) and Arsenal FC.

He first became involved in Arsenal in 2007 before assuming majority control in 2011.

5. WOLVES – GUO GUANGCHANG (£5.2BN)

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Guo Guangchang took over Wolves in 2016 after making a substantial investment in the club.

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Guo Guangchang took over Wolves in 2016 after making a substantial investment into the club

He is chairman of the Fosun Group and turned the company into an insurance-focused investment group.

Fosun’s investments range from steelmaking to mining, tourism and pharmaceuticals.

6. ASTON VILLA – NASSEF SAWIRIS (£5BN)

Nassef Sawiris replaced Tony Xia as Aston Villa owner in July 2018 when he claimed 55 per cent of the controlling stake.

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Nassef Sawiris replaced Tony Xia as Aston Villa owner in July 2018, claiming 55 per cent stake

Sawiris is from one of Egypt’s wealthiest families and owns numerous construction, engineering and building companies.

His holdings include stakes in cement giant Lafarge Holcim and adidas; he sits on the supervisory board of sports giant adidas.

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7. LEICESTER – AIYAWATT SRIVADDHANAPRABHA (£4.6BN)

Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, known as Top, became the CEO and chairman of their family company King Power and chairman of Leicester after his father Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha died.

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Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha (right) became owner after his father Vichai (left) died in 2018

Vichai, two members of his staff, the pilot and a passenger died in a helicopter crash leaving the club after a match in October 2018.

Their family company has an estimated annual revenue of $3.2bn (£2.5bn) and is the country’s leading operator of airport duty-free stores.

8. TOTTENHAM – JOE LEWIS (£3.9BN)

Having originally been born above a pub in London’s East End, Joe Lewis went on to become a billionaire.

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English National Investment Company, which Lewis owns 70.6 per cent of, bought a controlling stake in Tottenham in 2001 from Lord Alan Sugar.

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Having originally been born above a pub in London’s East End, Joe Lewis is now a billionaire

Joe Lewis owns the Tavistock Group, with more than 200 assets across 10 countries. Those assets include sports teams, energy companies, restaurants and luxury properties.

He has a variety of other investments including luxury club resort Albany, restaurants, hotels, and even an Australian agriculture firm.

9. MANCHESTER UNITED – THE GLAZER FAMILY (£3.6BN)

The Glazer family have owned Manchester United after Malcolm Glazer bought the club for £1.1bn. Malcolm was the primary stakeholder until he died in 2014.

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Joel Glazer (right) now holds that majority stake and is the new owner of Manchester United

His sons, Avram and Joel, have since stepped up as co-chairmen, with the family controlling 83 per cent of the voting power in the publicly traded team.

The person with the most shares in the club is Joel Glazer. He is among 23 other executive management members, but he holds the most power. Others include: Avram Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Bryan Glazer and Edward Glazer

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10. SOUTHAMPTON – GAO JISHENG (£3.1BN)

Gao Jisheng became majority owner of Southampton in 2017 when he completed a £210m deal, acquiring an 80 per cent of the club.

The investment was made personally by Jisheng and his daughter Nelly as opposed to being sanctioned through Lander Sports.

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Gao Jisheng became majority owner (80%) of Southhampton in 2017 through a £210m deal

Jisheng was the founder of Lander Sports Development until last year when he sold enough shares to lose control of the real-estate company.

11. CRYSTAL PALACE – JOSHUA HARRIS (£2.7BN)

Joshua Harris is an American private equity investor that co-founded Apollo Global Management – one of the world’s largest alternative investment firms.

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Joshua Harris has stakes in Crystal Palace, Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils

Harris owns an 18 per cent stake in Crystal Palace and is the principal shareholder of both the NHL team New Jersey Devils and NBA team Philadelphia 76ers as of 2011.

12. LIVERPOOL – JOHN W HENRY (£2.1BN)

John W Henry is the principle owner of Liverpool, having the most significant financial stake in Fenway Sports Group, which bought Liverpool in 2010.

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John W Henry owns Liverpool as he has the largest financial stake in Fenway Sports Group

Henry has a passion for sports and also owns the prolific Boston Red Sox team in Major League Baseball.

He made his wealth through founding the investment management company, John W. Henry & Company.

13. WEST HAM – DAVID SULLIVAN AND DAVID GOLD (£1.6BN) 

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has seen his wealth increase by £50m over the past 12 months, while David Gold has seen his raise by £10m – according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.

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West Ham co-owner David Sullivan and David Gold have seen their wealth increase this year

Gold and Sullivan acquired a 50 per cent share in West Ham in January 2010 and then purchased a further 10 per cent a few months later – Sullivan holds 51 per cent of those shares and Gold owns 35 per cent.

Sullivan and Gold’s first business venture together was in pornography.

Sullivan started selling soft pornography photos and expanded into sex shops, adult magazines and several low-budget blue movies. He became a millionaire by the age of 25.

Gold owns Gold Group International, the parent company of Ann Summers and he previously co-owned adult magazine company Gold Star Publications with his brother.

14. EVERTON – FARHAD MOSHIRI (£1.5BN) 

Having previously been involved with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, Farhad Moshiri sold his stake in the club to raise the capital he needed to launch a takeover of Everton.

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Farhad Moshiri sold his stake in Arsenal to raise the capital to launch a takeover of Everton

He successfully took over the Toffees in February 2016.

Moshiri made his money from owning and having shares in numerous steel and energy companies in the UK and Russia.

15. BRIGHTON – TONY BLOOM (£1.3BN)

Tony Bloom is thought to have acquired most of his wealth through online gambling and gaming websites and he even finished fourth at the World Series of Poker in 2005.

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Tony Bloom is thought to have acquired his wealth through online gambling and gaming

Bloom acquired even more wealth through property and start-up investments he involved himself with.

He became the chairman of Brighton in 2009 and has taken the club from League One to the Premier League. 

16. BOURNEMOUTH – MAXIM DEMIN (£900M)

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The Russian businessman became a co-owner of the south-coast club in 2011 when they were in League One and assumed full ownership of the club in 2013.

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Maxim Demin became a co-owner of Bournemouth in 2011 and assumed full ownership in 2013

He is known to have at least two companies in the UK, those being Wintel (a petrochemical company) and Wintel Holdings Ltd.

17. SHEFFIELD UNITED – PRINCE ABDULLAH BIN MUSA’AD (£198M)

The Sheffield United owner is the son of Prince Musa’id bin Abdulaziz Al Said and accumulated his wealth by setting up a paper manufacturing company in 1989. 

The Saudi prince recently won a High Court battle over the control of Premier League side Sheffield United.

Kevin McCabe and the Prince were locked in a legal battle over their 50-50 ownership of the club last year. The court ruled that McCabe’s shares in the club had to be sold to Price Abdullah for £5m.

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18. WATFORD – GINO POZZO (£93M)

The Pozzo family bought Watford from Laurence Bassini in 2012, but it is Gino Pozzo that has full ownership and control over the club.

He managed to buy the club from the profits of their family tool-making business, Freud. 

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Gino Pozzo (left) has full ownership and control over the club after his family bought it in 2012

He also is the son of Italian businessman Giampaolo Pozzo, who is currently the owner of Serie A club Udinese and the previous owner of LaLiga side Granada.

19. BURNLEY – MIKE GARLICK (£62M)

Mike Garlick became the sole chairman of the Clarets in 2015 when co-chairman John Banaszkiewicz stepped down from the role.

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Mike Garlick became sole chairman of Burnley back in 2015 when John Banaszkiewicz left

As founder and CEO of Michael Bailey Associates – a project management and consultancy company – Garlick made his wealth by establishing an international company with a portfolio of top tier clients. 

20. NORWICH – DELIA SMITH AND MICHAEL WYNN-JONES (£23M)

Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones are majority shareholders of the Canaries and have been since 1996.

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Delia Smith made her £28million net worth being an English cook and television presenter

Smith made her £28m net worth being an English cook and television presenter best known for teaching cookery.

Wynn-Jones made his wealth by establishing New Crane Publishing and subsequently selling it for around £7m and remaining in the industry as a consultant.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Governing Bodies

Sanusi set for record-extending tenure as Nigeria’s football politicians assemble in Asaba

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Speculations gathered ahead of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Football Federation holding in Asaba on Friday have it that tenure elongation for the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, is a major item on the agenda.

Neither formal confirmation nor denial has been issued since one of the leading newspapers in Nigeria, ThisDay dropped the hint.  

 The agenda of the meeting is also not made public. Dr, Sanusi is the longest-serving General Secretary in history having been in office from 30 March 2015 making 3,476 days or nine years six months and four days.

It easily drowned that of his closest rival in tenure – Sani Toro whose tenure from 21 December 1993 to 3 May  1999 is merely 2020 days or five years, six months and 12 days.

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 Thus, no one had enjoyed a longer period in office than the incumbent, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi.  It is speculated that the tenure will be extended as NFF has reported that all delegates have arrived in the Delta State capital by Thursday evening.

The NFF Annual General Assembly, the first of which took place 90 years ago in Lagos on 19 February 1934, is the biggest assemblage of football administrators and stakeholders in the country.

In one such meeting on 24 July 2008 in Makurdi, the football body changed its name from NFA to NFF.

This year, according to a press release by the NFF, the plenary will have in attendance, the chairmen and secretaries of football associations in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, chairmen and secretaries of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and the Nationwide League One, as well as chairmen and secretaries of the referees’ association, players’ union and coaches’ association. This group of 88 makes up the Congress.

 They are joined by the members of the NFF Executive Committee and the management team as well as former NFF Presidents and General Secretaries.

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The Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, is announced as the special guest. Nigeria’s Member of the FIFA Council, Amaju Melvin Pinnick is also expected as well as a representative of the West African Football Union (WAFU B).

The Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Francis Oborevwori will declare the General Assembly open. 

Venue is the Unity Hall of the Delta State Government House.

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Governing Bodies

Like in Egypt, former Nigerian Olympian, Sadiq Abdulahi wants Tinubu to declare ‘State of Emergency’ in Sports

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Former Nigerian tennis player and Olympian, Prof. Sadiq Abdulahi has called for drastic action to arrest the decline of Nigeria in global sporting events.

  The former tennis player who is now a professor in the United States declared that the “failure to win a medal at the regular 2024 Paris Olympics, the few medals at the Paris Paralympic and the fallout at the National Youth Sports Festival has exposed the deep problems facing the sport’s sector.”

  He wants Nigeria to have the same approach that the Egyptian president has taken while reacting to the country’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olypics.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered  a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that  participated at the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.

 According to Prof. Abdulahi, the National Sports Federations charged with the preparation of elite athletes have failed to do their job despite the cry for funding from the government.

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“Federal Government cannot adequately fund all the Olympics sports. It is impossible.

“By declaring a state of emergency, new people, new approaches and new funding models will be identified. More importantly, the Federal Government will redefine grassroots sports development.

“We will lay sustainable foundation for sports development.”

Continuing, he called for the return of the National Sports Commission (NSC) which enabling decree was abolished through Decree No. 7 of 1991, but came back through presidential proclamation under Sani Abacha before it was abolished again.

 The original NSC was established in 1964 as National Sports Council before the promulgation of Decree 34 of 1971 which legalised it as  the apex Federal Government agency to control, regulate and organize sports.

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  “The FG may now bring back the National Sports Commission or the National Sports Authority. Our emerging national economy with the full participation of the private sector can support this new beginning. I hope this helps.” 

RELATED STORY: President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul

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Governing Bodies

CAF gives Yoruba and Arabic interpretations of  ‘OLA’ the Super Cup 2024 Official Match Ball

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The Confédération African of Football, CAF, has given the linguistics interpretation of OLA, the confederation’s official match balls produced by Puma which has also unveiled a special edition for the Super Cup duel holding on Friday in Saudi Arabia.

According to CAF, OLA, symbolizing the dynamic and energetic nature of African football, means “wealth,” “honour,” and “respect” in Yoruba and “rise” and “success” in Arabic.

The OLA ball stands out with its vibrant design and cultural significance. “OLA” 

The ball is a mix of black and gold, representing power and sophistication. The ball will be the centrepiece of the eagerly-awaited match between the two giants of African football.

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