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Ben Hayes - Charlton Athletic programme

Takeovers

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Bid for Coventry City

Submitted by WG on Thu, 16/05/2013 - 06:45

Reports that American millionaire Preston Haskell has tabled a bit for Coventry City and the 50 per cent of the Ricoh Stadium owned by the Higgs Trust have been confirmed. Haskell was in Coventry for nine hours of talks earlier in the week.

One of the continuing problems at the Sky Blues has been the lack of any stake in the stadium, but the Haskell backed bid for a share of the stadium would only go ahead if ownership of the golden share could be secured.

Kuwaitis swoop for Blue Square South side

Submitted by WG on Mon, 13/05/2013 - 12:44

Foreign investment now reaches into the second level of the non-league pyramid with Kuwaiti firm KEH Sports Ltd. acquiring Ebbsfleet United.   A subsidiary of the Kuwaiti European Holding Company, they have been advised by former Charlton Athletic chief executive Peter Varney.

Kuwaiti company gears up for European football investment

Submitted by WG on Tue, 30/04/2013 - 08:41

Former Charlton chief executive Peter Varney has been appointed as chief executive of a Kuwaiti company seeking to make investments in European football. KEH were founded in 2008 and up to now have focused on real estate, tourism and health care.

KEH have extensive property investments interests in Sussex, including a major property development at Newhaven which includes a water park. They also own the Ambassador hotel on the Eastbourne seafront.

Moving beyond the burger

Submitted by WG on Thu, 04/04/2013 - 12:08

Catering in UK football stadiums faces a shake up after US stadium catering provider Centerplate acquired loss-making British company, the Lindley Group. They have catering contracts at Celtic Park and White Hart Lane among other locations.

The new owners are seeking to move catering at grounds beyond the traditional cup of Bovril (not that many people drink that any more), the lukewarm pie or the burger of dubious provenance. Indeed, some fans have been saying 'Neigh' to them following the horse meat scandal.

Bahrain-based bank buys stake in Leeds United

Submitted by WG on Thu, 28/03/2013 - 18:42

Bahrain-based International Investment Bank (IIB) has bought a 10 percent stake in Leeds United from the owners (Gulf Finance House, GFH) who took over the football club three months ago. The price paid has not been revealed.

Dubai-based GFH Capital said the deal was part of its strategy of bringing in additional investors to develop the Championship club. It paid 22 million pounds in December to buy out shareholders including Ken Bates, the former Chelsea owner.

Crawley Town up for sale

Submitted by WG on Sun, 24/03/2013 - 16:46

Crawley Town has been put up for sale and the club has already been approached by an interested party. It has been emphasised that this is not a fire sale and the financial support of the owners will continue until a sale has been concluded.

What is going at Leeds?

Submitted by WG on Thu, 21/03/2013 - 11:32

Distinguished sports journalist David Conn has been trying to disentangle the confusion surrounding conflicting announcements about whether the whole of Leeds United is for sale or just part of it.

What it seems to come down to is that the subsidiary company that bought Leeds, GFH Capital, has been saying different things from the parent company in Dubai, GFH.  Why?   Conn comes to the view that GFH will not sell Leeds United.

How to make money out of a football club

Submitted by WG on Wed, 20/03/2013 - 17:35

It is often argued that it is not possible to make money out of a football club in the sense that most clubs run at a loss as they seek glory, often a considerable one. One way in which could make money is through a capital appreciation of the asset.

Blues deny sale talk

Submitted by WG on Sun, 17/03/2013 - 20:23

Earlier this week we ran a story suggesting that a takeover of Birmingham City was in the offing.  This story attracted an unusual level of interest, presumably from Blue fans, although it also appeared in some print media.

Blues takeover near?

Submitted by WG on Thu, 14/03/2013 - 13:19

It is being reported that Carson Yeung is close to securing a deal to sell Birmingham City to a Far Eastern consortium.   It is thought that he will recover about £40m of the £80m he put into the club.

It has not been a happy period for the Blues and supporters' group Blues Trust are claiming that the club lost out on a complex deal for the use of the club's name and badge in China.