Serbian billionaire Dragan Šolak acquired a majority stake in the English football club Southampton. The Saints management announced today that Šolak’s investment company Sport Republic took over 80 percent of the shares.
The control package has so far been owned by Chinese businessman Kao Jisheng, who bought it in 2017. According to the British media, Šolak paid £ 100 million (about 2.955 billion crowns) for the transaction.
“In the last two years, together with our club’s shareholders, we have been looking for the right partner to move the club forward. Today, we have found the perfect solution,” said Martin Semmens, CEO of Southampton. “Sport Republic are experienced investors, but they also have experience from the world of elite professional sports. This combination is not easy to find and we are excited that we have concluded an agreement that will ensure our short and long term future,” he added.
Šolak, which owns, among others, the telecommunications company United Group, is the main investor of Sport Republic. The London-based company was founded by Rasmus Ankersen, who recently resigned as FC Brentford, and Henrik Kraft. “Southampton has exactly what we were looking for. It has a great management team, excellent talent development, talented teams playing attractive football and a dedicated fan base,” said Šolak.
The remaining 20 percent is still owned by Katharina Liebherr, who inherited it from her father in 2010, when Southampton played in the third league. Currently, the club ranks 14th in the Premier League, ten points away from the relegation zone in the table.
The majority stake is the third major investment in the Premier League in recent months. The Czech billionaire and owner of the Sparta Prague football team, Daniel Křetínský, became a co-owner of West Ham in November, in which he acquired a 27 percent stake with 1890s holdings. The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) joined Newcastle in October.
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