What financial clout does this Saudi prince have?

[Iver]

Sorry for starting another thread about this.

 

Rumours of this guy buying in at 50% are gathering pace, so I thought it merited separate discussion from the general investment thread.

 

Is his wealth any way comparable to the owners of City or Abramovich?

 

More importantly, is he a reputable, upstanding type character, that would would want effectively in charge of the club?

 

If he invests in a 50% stake, that dilutes Hicks / Gillett to 25% each, and they no longer call the shots - that cannot be a bad thing, unless this guy is as bad or worse than them, which would take some doing!

 

Does anyone know anything about him?

[Mike]

if he's a prince surely he has no clout

[Ramón Benítez Hernández]

Knowing our luck, he'll turn into a f*ckin frog.

[passater]

From the Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soccer/20...4255350990.html

 

Liverpool set for Saudi investment

A Saudi prince has revealed he is set to make a significant investment in a Premier League club, thought to be Liverpool. It is believed the Reds' owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are prepared to sell a 50 per cent stake in the club to Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah in order to help balance the books at Anfield.

 

"We are currently seeking to buy 50 per cent of the shares in the club which is now suffering with debts worth £245million (€266m)," Fahd bin Abdullah, who chairs private firm F6 and a Saudi-based holding firm called Fama Group, was quoted as saying in Al-Riyadh.

 

"The transaction, upon which a decision is close to be reached, will be worth £200m to £350m (€217m - €380m)."

 

A spokesman for Fama declined to comment, but it appears that the Premier League could be set to welcome further money from the Middle East.

[spk]

Saudi prince wants 50 pct of Liverpool FC-paper

• Reuters, Sunday September 27 2009
  

RIYADH, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A Saudi prince is prepared to spend up to 350 million pounds ($558 million) to buy a 50 percent stake in English soccer club Liverpool, Al-Riyadh newspaper quoted him as saying on Sunday.

 

"We are currently seeking to buy 50 percent of the shares in the club which is now suffering of debts worth 245 million pounds," Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah, who chairs private firm F6 and a Saudi-based holding firm called Fama Group, was quoted as saying."The transaction, upon which a decision is close to be reached, will be worth 200 (million) to 350 million pounds," he said, according to the newspaper.

 

A Fama spokesman declined to comment. "What I know is that the prince attended the Liverpool game against Hull and signed yesterday an agreement with Liverpool to build a sport academy in Saudi Arabia," the spokesman said.

 

No-one at Liverpool, which beat Hull 6-1 to move to third position in the English Premier League, could immediately be reached for comment.

 

Over the past few years, investors from Gulf Arab countries have shown growing interest in acquiring soccer clubs, mainly in the English Premier League, which culminated last year in the acquisition of Manchester City by Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG).

 

Liverpool has been at the centre of this interest after its American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett said in January they were in talks to sell the club for 500 million pounds, including debt, to a group of investors from the region. [iD:nLA534957]Before that, UAE-based Dubai International Capital vied in 2007 for a stake in Liverpool.Liverpool is England's most successful club with 18 English league titles and five European Cup triumphs.

 

Last year, Forbes Magazine estimated Liverpool to be worth $1 billion, excluding debt, placing it as the fourth-most valuable football team in the world after Manchester United, Real Madrid and Arsenal. (Reporting by Souhail Karam; Editing by David Holmes)

 

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/feedarticle/8726607

 

fwiw the dream is over in terms of fans buying the club - no chance they could raise that kind of money

[Benzo-13]

F***in Arsenal more valuable than us??

Codswallop that. With what fanbase?

[Rimbeux]

F***in Arsenal more valuable than us??

Codswallop that. With what fanbase?

 

 

Much higher turnover, income, bigger stadium, why not?

[richwilks]

F***in Arsenal more valuable than us??

Codswallop that. With what fanbase?

 

 

Bigger stadium and higher ticket prices means about £1 million extra every home game.

[Benzo-13]

F***. Measured it in a football sense rather than a business one.

Damn hangovers..

[redjersey]

Now being reported that negotiations are going on in London. Confirmed by a spokesman for the Saudis according to this.

 

RIYADH - A Saudi prince is negotiating to buy a stake in Liverpool Football Club, his office said on Sunday, in a deal the media said could be worth as much as 350 million pounds (559 million dollars). Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah, a businessman based in Al-Khobar in eastern Saudi Arabia, is currently discussing the deal with the owners of Liverpool, Azhari Kowa, a spokesman for the prince's Fama Group, said.

 

"Prince Faisal is in London now discussing the purchase," Kowa said, without elaborating.

[Zoob]

If the deal really is worth 350 million pounds, he'll surely be pretty much buying the club. - Unless of course G+H have found someone crazy enough to accept their over-inflated valuation.

[fyds]

If the deal really is worth 350 million pounds, he'll surely be pretty much buying the club. - Unless of course G+H have found someone crazy enough to accept their over-inflated valuation.

Thinking about it, he'd at the very least be having to buy a controlling interest and maybe some of the £350m talked of is to get the stadium started properly.

 

Since this broke, I've been trying to goodle stuff up on him, and all i can tell so far is he seems to be the real deal, has access to the royal coffers and sports wise at least knows who Snoogydooggy isn't. First instincts are having read this and that the Al Saud's don't want to miss out on what the Abu Dhabi's have started - seems prestige is a big part of the business ethic.

 

All extremities crossed.

[David Hodgson]

if he's a prince surely he has no clout

 

 

More clout than a Marquis, but less than a queen.

 

Also, he could be like 'Prince' Albert, whom was more or less a king ( to Victoria's queen). However, a note of caution - he could be more like 'Prince', the performer, who has little politcal sway and limited resources, despite his array of international number one hits.

[fyds]

No way are we playing in purple and lace. Skrtel in cuban heels? I think not.

[Internationinteroperability]

More clout than a Marquis, but less than a queen.

 

Also, he could be like 'Prince' Albert, whom was more or less a king ( to Victoria's queen). However, a note of caution - he could be more like 'Prince', the performer, who has little politcal sway and limited resources, despite his array of international number one hits.

 

The latter has 'pussy control' though. He'd take on the Yanks...

[stressederic]

More clout than a Marquis, but less than a queen.

 

Also, he could be like 'Prince' Albert, whom was more or less a king ( to Victoria's queen). However, a note of caution - he could be more like 'Prince', the performer, who has little politcal sway and limited resources, despite his array of international number one hits.

 

He could be a c**k ring?

[Gomez]

Don't think it really matters how much he has got, he's clearly not going to bank roll us.

 

Would you put loads of money into the a club you only owned half of so that the other share holders would reap the rewards.

 

I guess if he is 'investing' this means the money will go to the club rather than G&H's pockets, and their shareholding will be diluted rather than sold?

 

No idea if this is a good thing or not, but the best we can hope for is that he provides collateral against loans to get the stadium built, and means G&H own less of the club, and therefore are closer to owning f*ck all of it.

 

God knows what twisted and fantastical demands the two muppets are making though, so I would guess this is just as far away from happening as all the previous investors who've walked away.

[Rahul]

Something seems to be definitely happening then!!! (pics halfway down)

 

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index....opic=247542.520

Edited September 27, 2009 by Rahul

[Boca]

Something seems to be definitely happening then!!! (pics halfway down)

 

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index....opic=247542.520

 

 

Didn't he say he had signed the agreement for the football academys before the Hull game yesterday? That's probably what the pics are.

Edited September 27, 2009 by Boca

[Rimbeux]

Don't think it really matters how much he has got, he's clearly not going to bank roll us.

 

Would you put loads of money into the a club you only owned half of so that the other share holders would reap the rewards.

 

I guess if he is 'investing' this means the money will go to the club rather than G&H's pockets, and their shareholding will be diluted rather than sold?

No idea if this is a good thing or not, but the best we can hope for is that he provides collateral against loans to get the stadium built, and means G&H own less of the club, and therefore are closer to owning f*ck all of it.

 

God knows what twisted and fantastical demands the two muppets are making though, so I would guess this is just as far away from happening as all the previous investors who've walked away.

 

 

Not necessarily. I'm assuming the vast majority of the cash would go to pay off the debt and leave G&H which what is left. Then you have to be concerned if there are fresh loans to be placed on the club from the new investor

[allez les rouges]

Sorry for starting another thread about this.

 

Rumours of this guy buying in at 50% are gathering pace, so I thought it merited separate discussion from the general investment thread.

 

Is his wealth any way comparable to the owners of City or Abramovich?

 

More importantly, is he a reputable, upstanding type character, that would would want effectively in charge of the club?

 

If he invests in a 50% stake, that dilutes Hicks / Gillett to 25% each, and they no longer call the shots - that cannot be a bad thing, unless this guy is as bad or worse than them, which would take some doing!

 

Does anyone know anything about him?

 

if he is only going to get a percentage of the club, it doesn’t matter how many billions he has, he wont be spending any money apart form the purchase of the club, and other contractual obligations ie the academies and their sponsorship. For example, if he owned 25pc why would he invest millions of pounds when the other larger share holders don’t? by investing money, he only gets a percentage increase in the value of the club after all his investment, where as the other owners get will also get the benefit of his investment without investing anything themselves. By buying a percentage, he will be expecting a return.

[Keita]

Cant see it being anything other then a commercial or sponsorship deal.

[Frosty Jack]

If he buys 50% stake would that money clear the existing debt or go in G&Hs pockets leaving us still paying the interest to RBS from profit?

[Mike]

Cant see it being anything other then a commercial or sponsorship deal.

 

me neither.

[floyd]

How many false dawns have we been through? Until that scarf is being held above his head, I'll remain sceptical

Edited September 27, 2009 by floyd