Just how many wealthy people are involved in the Barclays Premier League is shown by the list published in The Times today of the richest Premier League owners. No less than 26 names make the list, more than there are clubs in the top flight.
Just how many wealthy people are involved in the Barclays Premier League is shown by the list published in The Times today of the richest Premier League owners. No less than 26 names make the list, more than there are clubs in the top flight.
Of course, some of the fortunes are relatively modest compared with the £13,300m of Alisher Usmanov at Arsenal or the estimated £12,000m of Sheikh Manosur bin Zayed and family at Manchester City. At the bottom of the list are to be found Delia Smith and her family, the celebrity chef estimated to be worth £20m. Still, even that can buy quite a lot of sherry.
One does have to be a little careful about the term ‘millionaire’. Asset millionaires are not uncommon these days: I have one in my family. It’s having a billion that really counts. On that basis, there are fifteen names on the list. But not far behind are John W. Henry at Liverpool (£968m); the Coates family at Stoke City (£925m) and Ellis Short at Sunderland (£850m).
Based on country of origin, 10 of the 26 are from the UK; 7 from the States; 3 from the Middle East; 3 from the former Soviet Union; 2 from Asia and 1 from Switzerland. The most Establishment British figure is probably Jeremy Peace at West Bromwich Albion. He was educated at the public (fee-paying) school Shrewsbury and was a stockbroker who worked in the City.
Many, however, are self-made. David Gold had a gangster father who was in and out of prison and experienced ‘abject poverty’ when he was young. His co-chairman David Sullivan started life in a council house (public housing). Martin Morgan at Swansea sold linen in a market, was a welder and then a travel rep, before starting his own travel agency. All human life is there.