• Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
SLC Online News
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Sports

Southampton Takeover: Club Confirm Serbian-Born Businessman Dragan Solak Has Completed £100m Deal – Sky Sports

southampton-takeover:-club-confirm-serbian-born-businessman-dragan-solak-has-completed-100m-deal-–-sky-sports
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Southampton have confirmed a Serbian-born cable television tycoon has completed a £100m takeover of the club.

Sky News had reported on Tuesday afternoon Dragan Solak, founder of United Group, has invested a chunk of his fortune in a controlling stake in the Saints, who sit 14th in the table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Southampton have now confirmed the deal which sees Sport Republic, a London-based investment firm in the sports and entertainment industry, acquire a controlling stake in the club.

The takeover brings an end to the majority ownership of Gao Jisheng, a Chinese businessman who bought an 80 per cent stake in the club in 2017.

Katharina Liebherr retains her 20 per cent minority shareholding.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Leicester Southampton

FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Southampton’s draw with Leicester in the Premier League

A club statement read: “Southampton Football Club can today confirm that Sport Republic has completed the acquisition of a controlling stake in Southampton Football Club.

“Sport Republic is an investment firm in the sports and entertainment industry. They have purchased the shareholding of the club held by Mr Gao and will work in partnership with Katharina Liebherr who retains her minority shareholding.

“Everyone within the Southampton community would like to wish Mr Gao and his family well for their future.”

Mr Solak is understood to be behind a new holding company which will examine offers for clubs in other international leagues, replicating a strategy employed by the owners of Manchester City.

  • Southampton fixtures | Premier League table

Rasmus Ankersen, the former Brentford co-director of football, and Henrik Kraft, a London-based investor and chairman of Sport Republic, are also involved in the Southampton takeover.

Solak said: “My partners and I have experience in long-term investments in the sports and entertainment industry and Sport Republic has been founded to combine this expertise and deliver something unique to the market.

“Southampton has so many of the qualities we have been looking for in a major sports organisation. It has a great management team, excellent talent development, talented teams playing attractive football and a dedicated fan base.

“We are delighted to be able to complete this acquisition as a first step towards execution of our investment strategy. Southampton will be a cornerstone of the organisation we plan to build.

Sport Republic: We won’t be starting any revolutions

Southampton is Sport Republic’s first acquisition and they are aiming to “build a portfolio of high-influence stakes in

football clubs and other sporting assets across the world”.

Kraft said: “We will be an active and engaged owner, but we will not be starting any revolutions.

Southampton's James Ward-Prowse (second right) celebrates teammates

Image: Southampton are 14th in the Premier League having won four games this season

“We were attracted to Southampton because it is already a well-run club that follows a clearly defined strategy.

“Southampton’s CEO Martin Semmens will continue to run the day-to-day operations of the club, and Sport Republic will be working closely with him and his team to help the club grow.

“The acquisition of Southampton is a great first step and we are very excited about the journey ahead.”

Southampton have been seeking a new owner for months.

Semmens said: “Over the last two years, together with the shareholders of our club, we have searched for the right partner to take the club forward. Today we have found the perfect solution for our club.

“Sport Republic are experienced investors, but also experienced within the world of elite professional sports. That combination is very hard to find, and we are thrilled to have reached an agreement that secures our short and long-term future.

“We are grateful for the support of Mr Gao and Katharina that allowed us to take our time, turn away the wrong options and ultimately find the right partner for the future of this great club, its fans, staff and the people of Southampton.

Ralph Hasenhuttl - PA

Image: Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl will be working under new ownership

“Today we welcome a new beginning with a new ownership group. We have found partners with ambition for the future, but with a clear understanding of what Southampton stands for and the direction we must go in now.”

It is the first deal to have been approved by the Premier League since a government-commissioned report by the former sports minister, Tracey Crouch, called for more rigorous scrutiny of club takeovers.

Her inquiry was initiated after the furious reaction to six English clubs’ decision to join a European Super League early last year.

It acquired additional impetus after the Premier League approved the takeover of Newcastle by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

The Magpies’ acquisition by one of the world’s wealthiest investors infuriated a number of Premier League clubs, triggering the resignation of the league’s chairman, Gary Hoffman.

‘Southampton takeover plans not something seen in PL before’

Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol on The Transfer Show:

“I don’t think there will be lots of incomings, but this is fantastic news for Southampton supporters – it’s a late Christmas present.

“Usually when someone buys a Premier League club, you think ‘this is just a billionaire who wants to buy a club for vanity sake, or he wants to show off to his friends’.

“But this investment company is very interesting when you look into it. The main investor in the company is a Serbian billionaire called Dragan Solak, who has made a lot of money in south eastern Europe. He’s got a telecommunications and media companies, so that’s where a bulk of the money is coming from.

“But the really interesting person involved in all of this is someone called Rasmus Ankersen, who was on this show in the summer.

“He was the co-director of football for six years at Brentford and was instrumental in their promotion to the Premier League, their business model and how much they rely on data and finding the kind of players who are value for money in the transfer market that some other clubs haven’t seen.

“What they’re saying is they’re not just going to buy Southampton to try and make them successful, they’re setting up a new kind of company and there are going to be lots of other clubs – Southampton are just one of the clubs they’re going to own – and also they’re going to be buying and investing in technology companies who specialise in sports and data.

“It’s quite exciting, it’s something we’ve seen before in the Premier League.”

Who is Dragan Solak?

 Serbian businessman Dragan Solak, hits a shot during the Open de Espana ProAm at PGA Catalunya Resort on May 14, 2014 in Girona, Spain. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Image: Serbian businessman Dragan Solak is the lead investor in the London-based investment firm Sport Republic

Solak is the founder and chairman of Serbian media group United Group, which began with an investment in a cable company but has grown into a major broadcaster, broadband and mobile company in southeast Europe.

United Media operates five national broadcasters and more than 50 pay-TV channels as well as a stable of newspapers, magazines and radio stations.

Solak has a number of other business interests, including motion picture production company VANS. A keen golfer, he is also chairman of Eligo, a Surrey-based company specialising in golf tourism.

Who is Rasmus Ankersen?

Rasmus Ankersen, president of FC Midtjylland looks on prior to the Danish 3F Superliga match between FC Midtjylland and FC Copenhagen at MCH Arena on July 9, 2020 in Herning, Denmark. (Photo by Lars Ronbog / FrontZoneSport via Getty Images)

Image: Sport Republic was founded by former Brentford co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen

Ankersen serves as the chief executive of Sport Republic. The Dane has seven years of experience in football, having worked at both Brentford and Danish Super League side FC Midtjylland in recent years.

Ankersen joined Brentford in 2015 as co-director of football and was part of their success in earning promotion to the English top flight for the first time in 74 years. At the same time, he was executive chairman of Midtjylland during a period in which they won three Danish league titles and qualified for the group stages of the Champions League in 2020.

Brentford announced in mid-December that Ankersen would be leaving to set up Sport Republic.

Who is Henrik Kraft?

Sport Republic chairman Kraft has a background as an investor in a number of sports technology companies, and has previously been an investor in Solak’s United Group.

Follow Southampton with Sky Sports

Follow every Southampton game in the Premier League this season with our live blogs on the Sky Sports website and app, and watch match highlights for free shortly after full-time.

Want the Southampton latest? Bookmark our Southampton news page, check out Southampton’s fixtures and Southampton’s latest results, watch Southampton goals and video, keep track of the Premier League table and see which Southampton games are coming up live on Sky Sports.

Get all this and more – including notifications sent straight to your phone – by downloading the Sky Sports Scores app and setting Southampton as your favourite team.

Hear the best Premier League reaction and expert analysis with the Essential Football and Gary Neville podcasts, keep up-to-date with our dedicated Transfer Centre, follow the Sky Sports social accounts on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, and find out how to get Sky Sports.

SLC Online News

© 2021 SLC Online News

Navigate Site

  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • DMCA Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • CCPA
  • Terms of Use

© 2021 SLC Online News

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT