Governing Bodies
NEWCASTLE SET TO LEAD THE ALTERNATIVE ‘PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE’
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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
Guo Guangchang took over Wolves in 2016 after making a substantial investment in 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.
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.
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.
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.
English National Investment Company, which Lewis owns 70.6 per cent of, bought a controlling stake in Tottenham in 2001 from Lord Alan Sugar.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Governing Bodies
Zimbabwe sports minister among candidates for International Olympic Committee presidency
A total of seven candidates are running for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee with the winner replacing outgoing president Thomas Bach at elections in March 2025 in ancient Olympia, Greece.
Kirsty Coventry:
Age: 41
Country: Zimbabwe
Entry into the IOC: 2013
An Olympic swimming champion and Zimbabwe’s most successful Olympian, Coventry is Zimbabwe’s Sports Minister. She is the only woman among the candidates and the only one from Africa.
Prince Feisal Al Hussein:
Age: 60
Country: Jordan
Entry into the IOC: 2010
Prince Feisal heads the Jordan Olympic Committee and has been an IOC executive board member since 2019. An Executive Board member of the Olympic Council of Asia, Prince Feisal has also held several posts at the Royal Jordanian Air Force.
Sebastian Coe:
Age: 67
Country: Britain
Entry into the IOC: 2020
An Olympic track and field champion and head of World Athletics, Coe also led the organisation for the 2012 London Olympics. A former Conservative Member of Parliament, Coe is also involved in sports consultancy and is a former head of the British Olympic Association.
Johan Eliasch:
Age: 62
Country: Britain
Entry into the IOC: 2024
The wealthy Swedish-born entrepreneur with a variety of business interests has headed the international skiing federation since 2021. He only joined the IOC in July at its session in the Paris Olympics.
David Lappartient:
Age: 51
Country: France
Entry into the IOC: 2022
A rising figure in world sports administration. He heads the international cycling body, UCI, and is in charge of esports within the IOC, having helped seal a 12-year deal with Saudi Arabia earlier this year for the Olympic esports Games.
Juan Antonio Samaranch:
Age: 64
Country: Spain
Entry into the IOC: 2001
The son of the late former IOC president, Samaranch has considerable IOC experience and influence in his six years as vice president and 23 as a member. He headed the coordination commission for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Morinari Watanabe:
Age: 65
Country: Japan
Entry into the IOC: 2018
Watanabe has headed the gymnastics federation (FIG) since 2016, having been re-elected twice since. He is the first Japanese candidate to run for the IOC presidency.
Governing Bodies
World Athletics boss, Coe and multi-millionaire Eliasch among seven candidates for IOC presidency
World athletics chief Sebastian Coe, multi-millionaire and Olympic newcomer Johan Eliasch and Zimbabwe’s Sports Minister Kirsty Coventry are among seven candidates for next year’s International Olympic Committee presidency election, the IOC said on Monday.
IOC Vice President Juan Antonio Samaranch, son of the late former IOC president, international cycling chief David Lappartient, Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan and international gymnastics federation head Morinari Watanabe are also in the running to succeed current president Thomas Bach.
The 70-year-old German is stepping down next year after 12 years at the helm. The election will be held at the IOC session in ancient Olympia, Greece in March 2025.
The candidates will all present their programmes, behind closed doors, to the full IOC membership in January 2025.
The IOC, with 111 members currently, is in charge of the Olympic Games and the multi-billion dollar industry linked to the world’s biggest multi-sports event.
Bach’s departure comes with the organisation in a financially robust position, having secured $7.3 billion for the years 2025-28 and $6.2 billion already in deals for 2029-2032.
The president is elected to an eight-year first term with the possibility of a second term of four years, if re-elected.
Coe, 67, only joined the IOC in 2020 after a rocky relationship between World Athletics and the IOC over Coe’s ban of Russian track and field athletes almost a decade ago following the country’s doping scandal.
A former Olympic champion with a wealth of experience in the sports world, Coe was previously head of the London 2012 Games and the British Olympic Association. He is also a former Conservative Member of Parliament.
Coventry, 41, is the only woman running for president and the former Olympic swimming champion, who is Zimbabwe’s most decorated Olympian, could become not only the first female president but also the first from Africa.
MALE PRESIDENTS
All IOC presidents have been men, with eight of the nine from Europe and one from the United States.
The 62-year-old Eliasch, head of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), only joined the IOC in July, with the Swedish-born British businessman’s candidacy a surprise for some.
Prince Feisal, 60, is a member of the IOC executive board, having joined the organisation in 2010, while Spaniard Samaranch, with considerable IOC experience in his six years as vice president, headed the coordination commission for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
“The IOC and Olympic movement have made enormous strides over the past decade under the leadership of Mr Bach,” said Samaranch in a statement.
“The IOC now needs a new leader with deep experience of the Olympic movement who can help steer it through this period of upheaval.”
UCI chief Lappartient has been a rapidly rising figure within the sports world after joining the IOC in 2022.
The Frenchman also is in charge of esports within the IOC, having helped seal a 12-year deal with Saudi Arabia earlier this year for the Olympic esports Games.
Japan’s Watanabe, 65, has headed the gymnastics federation (FIG) since 2016, having been re-elected twice since, and is his country’s first ever candidate for the IOC presidency.
Under current rules members have to step down when they reach 70, the IOC’s age limit, unless they are given a four-year extension.
-Reuters
There is currently insinuations that proposed certain elements may have smuggled modifications to amend the Statutes of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) when the body holds its General Assembly next month in Kinshasa, Congo next month.
The confederation will be having its 46th General Assembly on 10th October. It is at such gatherings that amendments are made to existing rules.
According to an article authored by Mansour Loum, the editor of Sports News Africa, some national football federations have denied being party to proposed amendments which were linked to them.
One of such is coming from the Equatorial Guinea Football Federation which has denied signing proposals being circulated relating to amendments to CAF Statutes.
It is claimed that a circular dated 8 September has been sent to CAF member associations. Signed by CAF General Secretary, Véron Mosengo-Omba, it is titled: “Proposals for amendments to the CAF statutes and regulations for the application of the statutes, as well as the rules of procedure of the CAF General Assembly, presented by the national associations.”
Seven member associations were quoted as sponsoring the amendments. They are: Botswana, Comoros, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania and Niger.
But Equatorial Guinea has denied being party to the proposed amendment which seek to remove age barrier for candidates seeking to be CAF Presidents and also removing zonal considerations in election into FIFA Council.
The current Statute stipulates that a presidential candidate must not be older than 70 as at the date of election.
Most of the national federation members are already approaching that age. In the estimation of the author of the article, Mansour Loum, the current CAF president, Patrice Motsepe, is 62 years old. With the age limit, he could, for example, only run for two more terms.
Continuing, Loum wrote that regarding the elections to the FIFA Council, each zone has a representative on the FIFA Council and candidates for these positions can only be elected by the presidents of the member associations of their group zone.
Thus, the presidents of French-speaking federations can only vote for a French-speaking representative, the English-speakers for the English-speaking group, and so on.
The distribution of seats on the FIFA Council is currently as follows:
Francophone Group – Two members
Anglophone Group – Two members
Arabophone/Lusophone/Hispanophone Group – Two members
One female member elected from among the female candidates, regardless of language groups
The modification of the grouping by zonal unions would mean that all presidents could vote for candidates outside their group, or that the candidates would also no longer be limited to a group.
Several candidates from the same group could be elected to the FIFA Council, while at the same time some groups could no longer be represented.
Equatorial Guinea disputes any request for modification. The football federation president, Venancio Tomas Ndong Micha has reportedly denied being party to the proposed amendments.
“I am writing to you to present the disagreement of the Equatorial Guinean Football Federation with part of the content of the document sent to the CAF Executive Council on September 8, 2024 signed by you (…)
“In this document, there are amendments presented by the Equatorial Guinean Football Federation (…) By this letter, we confirm that the Equatorial Guinean Football Federation has not submitted any amendments to the CAF administration for the 46th CAF Ordinary General Assembly to be held on Thursday, October 10, 2024 in Kinshasa,” he denounces.
Enough to cast doubt on this document sent by the CAF secretary general and the objective targeted. Contacted, a federation president, whose body is not mentioned in the letter, is surprised by these two requests for amendments and wonders about their intentions.
The press release from the Equatorial Guinean Football Federation has sown doubt and now he is questioning the originality of the attachments included in this document which is likely to be talked about between now and the CAF General Assembly.
– Mansour Loum
Zimbabwe sports minister among candidates for International Olympic Committee presidency
World Athletics boss, Coe and multi-millionaire Eliasch among seven candidates for IOC presidency
Storm in CAF over proposed statutes amendments
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