Soccer (Football)
8 Big Football Clubs Owned by Asians
Ownership of football clubs is on the rise thanks to these sports-crazy billionaires.
The stadium entrance of Leicester City FC
© Leicester City
Investing and buying into professional football clubs seem to be the new trend for Southeast Asian billionaires. Fuelled by passion and a thirst for victory, these rich and powerful tycoons are taking their love for football to the next level – by buying their favourite football clubs. Here are some of the big name clubs that are currently being backed by this region’s richest.
Leicester City (UK)
Owner: Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
Club Market Value: £95 million
2016 Results: English Premier League Champions
CEO of King Power Duty Free and Thai billionaire Srivaddhanaprabha purchased Leicester City F.C. in 2010 for an undisclosed amount whilst they were competing in the Championship. Under the tycoon’s reign, the Foxes were promoted to the Premier League in 2013. Their run in the BPL in 2014 was less than stellar as they constantly fought for survival but the 2015/16 season saw Leicester run away with the coveted BPL trophy. With silverware in the bag and a spot in Europe to play for next season, Srivaddhanaprabha is sitting pretty as one of English football’s most successful owners.
Tony Fernandes bought over QPR in 2011
© AirAsia Berhad
Queen's Park Rangers (UK)
Owner: Tan Sri Tony Fernandes (Malaysia)
Club Market Value: £35 million
2016 Results: 12th English Championship
The AirAsia owner set his sights on owning a football club in 2011 and settled on Queens Park Rangers following their promotion to the Premier League. Fernandes purchased the West London club for £35 million and gained a vast majority of the ownership. His tenure as the owner has been tumultuous at best following a near disastrous 2012 season that left the club tattering on relegation. Their survival would only prove to be a stay of execution as QPR dropped back to the Championship the following year, where they’ve been ever since.
Vincent Tan has three European clubs to his name
© SkySports
Cardiff City (UK)
Owner: Tan Sri Dato’ Vincent Tan (Malaysia)
Club Market Value: £30.5 million
2016 Results: 8th English Championship
Tan has amassed a collection of European clubs, which includes FK Sarajevo, which he bought in 2013, Belgium’s KV Kortrijk, which he purchased last year and Cardiff City F.C, a club he bought into in 2010 for £6 million when they were languishing in the Championship. His tenure as owner has been marred with controversy following his decision to change the club’s colours from blue to red. The Bluebirds, as they are affectionately known as, also managed to survive one year in top flight football in 2013/14 before being relegated. But Tan is headstrong in his efforts to turn Cardiff into a successful and profitable club and he’s managed to reduce their £140 million debt by half this year with a promise to make Cardiff City F.C. debt-free by 2021.
Thohir during a recent visit to Inter Milan
© InterMilan.it
Inter Milan (Italy)
Owner: Erick Thohir (Indonesia)
Club Market Value: £186 million
2016 Results: 4th Serie A
Indonesian media mogul, Thohir plonked down £250 million to purchase a 70% stake at the renowned Italian club in 2013. Under his reign, Inter has achieved decent success, never finishing beyond the top ten in the Serie A. A fourth place finish this year in the Italian domestic league confirms the club’s upward trajectory, especially with a spot in the Europa League confirmed for next season. In addition to Inter Milan, Thohir also co-owns Major League Soccer club, D.C. United and Indonesian football club Persib Bandung.
Valencia CF (Spain)
Owner: Peter Lim
Club Market Value: £182 million
2016 Results: 12th La Liga
Singaporean billionaire Lim purchased the Spanish club in 2014 for £420 million and he immediately tasted success with a fourth place finish in La Liga. But Valencia has sputtered on the field during recent times. They were knocked out of the Champions league group stage and only managed to reach the semis of the Copa Del Ray. The real estate tycoon will likely have to inject more cash into the Spanish club in order for them to climb up the domestic league and improve on their 12th table position in the coming season.
Malay Mail: Datuk Noordin’s purchase of Bari
© MalayMail
Bari 1908 (Italy)
Owner: Datuk Noordin Ahmad (Malaysia)
Club Market Value: £13.7 million
2016 Results: 5th Serie B
Datuk Noordin’s purchase of Serie B side, Bari 1908 shocked the footballing world and dominated football headlines in Europe and Asia. The billionaire bought a 50% share of the club for approximately €12 million in April this year. He also assumed the position of club CEO following the purchase. But Bari has battle hard in Serie B this year, finishing fifth in the league and managing a play-off spot for promotion into Serie A as well.
Reading (UK)
Owners: Narin Niruttinanon (Thailand)
Club Market Value: £24.4 million
2016 Results: 17th English Championship
A majority shareholder, Niruttinanon led a buyout of Reading FC with co-owners Khunying Sasima Srivikorn and Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth in 2014. In total, the trio spent over £26 million to gain over 50% of club shares. Coming under scrutiny from fans who believe the Thai owners do not have the club’s best interests, Niruttinanon has pledged his commitment to Reading recently while revealing that the owners are working on a plan to help secure a long-term future for the club in English football.
Chansiri wants to bring Sheffield Wednesday back
© Sheffield WednesdayFC
Sheffield Wednesday (UK)
Owner: Dejphon Chansiri
Club Market Value: £33.2 million
2016 Results: 6th English Championship
Reportedly, it cost Chansiri £37.5 million to purchase Sheffield Wednesday last year and the tycoon who has made his fortunes in the tuna business is eager for the club to find success again. He started by clearing the club’s debt and most recently changed its crest to celebrate Sheffield Wednesday’s heritage in English football. He has also voiced his intent on mounting a challenge for a return to the Premier League in 2017/18 in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the club.
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