Thaksin Sells His Manchester City Club To Abu Dhabi

[HelterSkelter]

Hahahahahahaha... I am laughing here... As an American...I care nothing about soccer...(aka European football)...

But the fact that Thaksin has sold M.C. at least suggests to me that the current Thai government/court's efforts at freezing his assets in connection with the various court cases have had some impact... And... that's a heartening thing to hear. Now, hopefully, PPP notwithstanding, the various court cases will follow thru to their conclusions, and the assets be seized or not, depending on the outcomes of the verdicts.

It would be nice to see justice done...for a change.

That would be '[world] football, apart from one odd country'.

Last time I checked, the American style of football was being played in a fair number of other countries around the world, and U.S. pro teams have been playing well-received exhibition games in various places. Just give it a bit more time...and the virus will spread... The only ODD thing is why anyone would prefer soccer over American football in the first place...

American football is called American football outside the US, while 'soccer' is called football in the rest of the world outside the US.

Hence, it would be '[world] football, apart from one odd country'.

"Dandies" Have a history of an inate guilt of Borrowing English and a Waining to change it into " Speaking American" ( Um wa kim patum Kimosabi!< The Real American Lingo)

Thus Cricket reinvented into "Baseball", Airship Becomes "Blimp",Lift to "Elevator",The Toilet to "Bathroom"( it's on the left,just don't piss in my bathtub!),Football into "Kickball"(Crafty Eh!)

and of Coarse Rugby,

(dons Loads of pads, Quarter times and "stop Play" Progression) Vuoala!(American)"Football"!

[robee]

I just saw the headline on Sky News.

Confirmation here. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/529580-abu-...ster-city?ln=en

So where will he invest the money now???????????????????

[robee]

I just saw the headline on Sky News.

Confirmation here. http://www.arabianbusiness.com/529580-abu-...ster-city?ln=en

So where will he invest the money now???????????????????

his timing is unreal... was speaking to a thai friend and comment was "things arent as bad as they seeem..." optamistic at best.

[sriracha john]

The man behind yesterday's sensational takeover of Manchester City has given manager Mark Hughes just three years to win the Champions League.

One nutter replaced by another....

The goal he gave to Mark Hughes might be indeed very ambitious but I suggest you do a bit of research on Dr Sulaiman al-Fahim and I don't think the man is a nutter, far from that, and I'm not even a fan of any Arab but one has to remain fair and you're not behaving fair.

Sorry to say so.

I'm happy for the Manchester United fans and that's what counts.

LaoPo

Any owner of any sports team that dictates, particularly on the first day, that his team will win a championship within 3 years reveals someone that doesn't understand the dynamics of team sports.

If the only mechanism to having a championship team is the amount of money you pay for players, Steinbrenner's Yankee baseball team would have won 25 straight World Series. This year, despite the biggest payroll in baseball, his team won't even make the play-offs.

There's nothing wrong with hoping for the best for your team, but to come out and give an ultimatum, "Win a Championship within 3 years" is ludicrous....aka "nutter"

As for being happy for Man U... or Man C... I'm happy for any team that doesn't sell their team down the river to just anyone with a sack of cash without knowing where it came from or what type of person they are. I'd be the first to admit that I don't know that much about the good al-Fahim and made my comment only after highlighting what I feel is a nutter statement.

As for the previous owner, we do have a lot of information on his ill-gotten wealth and his, to put it mildly, suspect character flaws and because of that... those fans who truly cared about the team, should have, IMHO, been more vocal in their opposition. That they are now cheering his sell-off is a testament to their dissatisfaction with him, but, IMHO, it's a year too late.

These are all my own opinions. Sports tend to bring out very vociferous emotions in people...

I'm reminded of this earlier exchange that also highlights my points above as well.

It isn't even Thaksins job or responsibility to improve the National Team but you are condemning him for even trying.

I think the condemnation is at Thaksin using people under false pretenses for personal and political gain.

Cheers rixalex but i know what Plus, Tony Clifton, SJ and some others are upto. I'm just rebutting their unsubstantiated accusations

Not sure what "unsubstantiated accusations" you are referring to, but as for myself, this whole thread has been precisely about what rixalex just posted.

All the way through the thread, you guys have accused him of doing this and that because he wants so and so. I don't really tread into the political arena but when you start to have a go at football, in particular my beloved club (yes including the owner) i will reply to what i think is wrong or only alleged and not fact. Well, you're welcome to your views and i am welcome to have my own.

Anything we've accused him of doing in this thread is directly related to rixalex's point.... and pretty much, the accusations and associated points have all been self-evident.

We're not having a go at MCFC, we're having a go at its owner. If he had bought the Nome Alaska Junior Ice Hockey Team, we'd be having a go at him in that thread, as well.

As I pointed out very early on in this thread, this tyrannical despot purchasing MCFC transcends the actual sports team itself. If you chose to accept just any owner for your preferred sports team, that's your right and certainly you are entitled to your own opinion, the same as all of us.

I, personally, would prefer to be a unrepentant fan of my own preferred team, even if they continued to perform like crap, rather than accept the dirty money from a tainted murderous owner whose temporary possessor-ship might improve my team for a transient period of time. I would consider that as having unbroken pride in my life-long team over winning at any and all cost.

Edited September 2, 2008 by sriracha john

[LaoPo]

The man behind yesterday's sensational takeover of Manchester City has given manager Mark Hughes just three years to win the Champions League.

One nutter replaced by another....

The goal he gave to Mark Hughes might be indeed very ambitious but I suggest you do a bit of research on Dr Sulaiman al-Fahim and I don't think the man is a nutter, far from that, and I'm not even a fan of any Arab but one has to remain fair and you're not behaving fair.

Sorry to say so.

I'm happy for the Manchester United fans and that's what counts.

LaoPo

Any owner of any sports team that dictates, particularly on the first day, that his team will win a championship within 3 years reveals someone that doesn't understand the dynamics of team sports.

If the only mechanism to having a championship team is the amount of money you pay for players, Steinbrenner's Yankee baseball team would have won 25 straight World Series. This year, despite the biggest payroll in baseball, his team won't even make the play-offs.

There's nothing wrong with hoping for the best for your team, but to come out and give an ultimatum, "Win a Championship within 3 years" is ludicrous....aka "nutter"

As for being happy for Man U... or Man C... I'm happy for any team that doesn't sell their team down the river to just anyone with a sack of cash without knowing where it came from or what type of person they are. I'd be the first to admit that I don't know that much about the good al-Fahim and made my comment only after highlighting what I feel is a nutter statement.

As for the previous owner, we do have a lot of information on his ill-gotten wealth and his, to put it mildly, suspect character flaws and because of that... those fans who truly cared about the team, should have, IMHO, been more vocal in their opposition. That they are now cheering his sell-off is a testament to their dissatisfaction with him, but, IMHO, it's a year too late.

These are all my own opinions. Sports tend to bring out very vociferous emotions in people...

I'm reminded of this earlier exchange that also highlights my points above as well.

It isn't even Thaksins job or responsibility to improve the National Team but you are condemning him for even trying.

I think the condemnation is at Thaksin using people under false pretenses for personal and political gain.

Cheers rixalex but i know what Plus, Tony Clifton, SJ and some others are upto. I'm just rebutting their unsubstantiated accusations

Not sure what "unsubstantiated accusations" you are referring to, but as for myself, this whole thread has been precisely about what rixalex just posted.

All the way through the thread, you guys have accused him of doing this and that because he wants so and so. I don't really tread into the political arena but when you start to have a go at football, in particular my beloved club (yes including the owner) i will reply to what i think is wrong or only alleged and not fact. Well, you're welcome to your views and i am welcome to have my own.

Anything we've accused him of doing in this thread is directly related to rixalex's point.... and pretty much, the accusations and associated points have all been self-evident.

We're not having a go at MCFC, we're having a go at its owner. If he had bought the Nome Alaska Junior Ice Hockey Team, we'd be having a go at him in that thread, as well.

As I pointed out very early on in this thread, this tyrannical despot purchasing MCFC transcends the actual sports team itself. If you chose to accept just any owner for your preferred sports team, that's your right and certainly you are entitled to your own opinion, the same as all of us.

I, personally, would prefer to be a unrepentant fan of my own preferred team, even if they continued to perform like crap, rather than accept the dirty money from a tainted murderous owner whose temporary possessor-ship might improve my team for a transient period of time. I would consider that as having unbroken pride in my life-long team over winning at any and all cost.

That's quite an explanation why you called the buyer of Manchester City a ''nutter''.

LaoPo

[Tony Clifton]

Hahahahahahaha... I am laughing here... As an American...I care nothing about soccer...(aka European football)...

But the fact that Thaksin has sold M.C. at least suggests to me that the current Thai government/court's efforts at freezing his assets in connection with the various court cases have had some impact... And... that's a heartening thing to hear. Now, hopefully, PPP notwithstanding, the various court cases will follow thru to their conclusions, and the assets be seized or not, depending on the outcomes of the verdicts.

It would be nice to see justice done...for a change.

That would be '[world] football, apart from one odd country'.

Last time I checked, the American style of football was being played in a fair number of other countries around the world, and U.S. pro teams have been playing well-received exhibition games in various places. Just give it a bit more time...and the virus will spread... The only ODD thing is why anyone would prefer soccer over American football in the first place...

American football is called American football outside the US, while 'soccer' is called football in the rest of the world outside the US.

Hence, it would be '[world] football, apart from one odd country'.

"Dandies" Have a history of an inate guilt of Borrowing English and a Waining to change it into " Speaking American" ( Um wa kim patum Kimosabi!< The Real American Lingo)

Thus Cricket reinvented into "Baseball", Airship Becomes "Blimp",Lift to "Elevator",The Toilet to "Bathroom"( it's on the left,just don't piss in my bathtub!),Football into "Kickball"(Crafty Eh!)

and of Coarse Rugby,

(dons Loads of pads, Quarter times and "stop Play" Progression) Vuoala!(American)"Football"!

How many bottles of Red Bull do you consume per day?

[raro]

Coming back to Thaksin's visa status:

From my understanding (and please correct me if I'm wrong) he is still holder of a diplomatic passport that may or may not be revoked in the not so distant future. Further, the MC deal granted him an investor visa in the UK. What will happen to this visa? Canceled? If yes and the diplomatic passport also canceled he has to hurry with his asylum application.

[LaoPo]

Hahahahahahaha... I am laughing here... As an American...I care nothing about soccer...(aka European football)...

But the fact that Thaksin has sold M.C. at least suggests to me that the current Thai government/court's efforts at freezing his assets in connection with the various court cases have had some impact... And... that's a heartening thing to hear. Now, hopefully, PPP notwithstanding, the various court cases will follow thru to their conclusions, and the assets be seized or not, depending on the outcomes of the verdicts.

It would be nice to see justice done...for a change.

That would be '[world] football, apart from one odd country'.

Last time I checked, the American style of football was being played in a fair number of other countries around the world, and U.S. pro teams have been playing well-received exhibition games in various places. Just give it a bit more time...and the virus will spread... The only ODD thing is why anyone would prefer soccer over American football in the first place...

American football is called American football outside the US, while 'soccer' is called football in the rest of the world outside the US.

Hence, it would be '[world] football, apart from one odd country'.

"Dandies" Have a history of an inate guilt of Borrowing English and a Waining to change it into " Speaking American" ( Um wa kim patum Kimosabi!< The Real American Lingo)

Thus Cricket reinvented into "Baseball", Airship Becomes "Blimp",Lift to "Elevator",The Toilet to "Bathroom"( it's on the left,just don't piss in my bathtub!),Football into "Kickball"(Crafty Eh!)

and of Coarse Rugby,

(dons Loads of pads, Quarter times and "stop Play" Progression) Vuoala!(American)"Football"!

How many bottles of Red Bull do you consume per day?

:D

LaoPo

[Loaded]

I guess Pangtongtae loses his position as technical director of football. With his abilities though, but without dad, he could probably get a job as chief toilet cleaner at Maine Road. Maybe Potjaman will open a Thai restaurant or she might get a job as a city office cleaner. Who knows, she may even start her own company and put in bids for the cleaning contract at Patel's corner shop.

Edited September 3, 2008 by Loaded

[sriracha john]

Bye, bye, Thaksin

THAKSIN: Promised to make Man City a Big Four club when he first took over. But even the most seasoned of observers would have been surprised to see an entire football club change hands yesterday.

Only Manchester City could provide such drama, but the joy felt by its supporters today is tinged with sadness for the rest of us.

Not since the departure of Jean-Alain Boumsong has English football been required to cope with a loss as grievous as the exit of Thaksin Shinawatra.

How will we cope without the good doctor and his antics? Has a dafter man ever wielded so much power?

Shinawatra came into possession of Manchester City with less slightly knowledge of football and its workings than I have of Thai tax laws.

His first move, hiring Sven Goran Eriksson, was a good one, but that was obviously beginners luck.

After a promising start faded into inconsistency, Shinawatra fatally undermined his manager and crippled any hopes of success for the club.

Eriksson was forced to rebuild an entire club at short notice and he did it well, scooping up gems like Elano, Martin Petrov and Vedran Corluka. Not all of his acquisitions were as successful, but when you throw so many new players into a team at once, that's only to be expected.

Eriksson was putting down foundations, but Shinawatra wanted the house finished before the ink had dried on the blueprints and sacked him at the end of the season.

The former Thai Prime Minister must have known all along that there was a danger of his assets being frozen. John Burridge had predicted that outcome in these very pages, but it didn't stop him from reportedly setting up the same kind of installment-based transfer deals that sunk Leeds United.

When the new Thai government moved in on their former leader, City's very existence was in the balance.

That isn't to say that Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim of the snappily-titled Abu Dhabi United Group For Development And Investment will be any better. The 31-year-old tycoon is no shrinking violet and has been described as the Donald Trump of the Middle East, having just launched his own 'Apprentice' style TV programme over there. His first act has to been to voice a desire for a top four finish this season, proving once again that Manchester City are the only club to attract chairmen with less realistic ambitions than their fans.

But his intentions are for another day.

For now, it's only right that we have a moment of silence for the man who thought that English football could be dominated with relatively modest spending.

A man who hired one of the most experienced, successful managers in the world and then dumped him after doing the double over Manchester United, qualifying for Europe and finishing in the top half.

A man whose senseless behaviour could have doomed a proud club to extinction.

Dr Thaksin Shinawatra, we salute you. Now don't let the door hit your bum on the way out.

- The Electric New Paper (Singapore) / 2008-09-03

Edited September 3, 2008 by sriracha john

[Chang_paarp]

<<Snip>>

The Arab Leader(s) from Abu Dhabi are certainly no fools and must have negotiated to their benefit.

In my own country, if one has shares, the profit is tax free if there's a gain (if sold) but no taxes have to be paid also if you lose ....

The way I read the message from CNN shows Thaksin was/is in Abu Dhabi....

LaoPo

I'm surprised NOBODY reacted to this message and the LAST SENTENCE in particular....

LaoPo

Maybe they will notice this time.

It would not have been missed in a more political thread.

[LaoPo]

Arabian might at Eastlands

SO WHO IS THE KEY FIGURE?

One of Thaksin's key aides, who was involved in negotiations with ADUG, told BBC Sport: "Although Dr Sulaiman is the face of the new owners, Sheikh Mansour is the main player."

Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi, and his 19 brothers include the president and crown prince of the emirate.

He is married to Sheikha Manal bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, daughter of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.

The estimated wealth of the Al Nahyan family is an almost unimaginable $1 trillion (a thousand billion dollars) or more than £560bn.Sheikh Mansour, a member of the federal cabinet in the United Arab Emirates and Minister of Presidential Affairs, is also politically influential.

And his love of sport has already led him to become chairman of Al Jazeera Football Club and the Emirates Horse Racing Authority.

Sheikh Mansour is essentially Dr Sulaiman's employer, providing the capital for Hydra Properties.

and:

Every time the price of a barrel of oil rises by $1, it is estimated Abu Dhabi gains as much as $500m (£280m) a day.

HOW MUCH WILL CITY COST?

Staveley says the purchase price for the Premier League club is "around if not above" £200m.

WHAT NOW?

So far, there is no legally-binding agreement between Thaksin and ADUG.

A memorandum of understanding - basically a gentlemen's agreement - that a deal would take place was signed on Sunday. The deal will now be subject to about 10 days of due diligence, when ADUG will look at the City books.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/t...ity/7593936.stm

LaoPo

[LaoPo]

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan has a deep love of sport and deeper pockets

Man of mystery: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (third left) at an exhibition in Abu Dhabi Photo: Getty Images

He may be an unknown on the Hyde Road, but Manchester City fans will soon come to recognise Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan - the real tycoon behind yesterday’s extraordinary takeover and one of the world’s richest and most powerful men.

The brother of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, the biggest of the United Arab Emirates, he has an estimated family fortune of about $1trillion (£555billion) to buy foreign assets alone. Sources said last night he has a personal wealth of “many, many billions of dollars”, apparently putting the £11.7billion firepower of Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich in the shade.

The family’s wealth is derived from oil which, when it was discovered in Abu Dhabi in 1958, started the transformation of a nation of fishermen into a powerful state.

The burgeoning coffers have been swollen by the recently surging oil price. It is estimated that every time the price of oil goes up by a $1, Abu Dhabi gains as much as $500 million a day.

With a population of three million, it is far more than the emirate can spend so, as with other cash-rich nations, the spare cash is siphoned off into sovereign wealth funds – big pools of cash that are used to buy foreign assets in preparation for when the oil runs out.

Abu Dhabi has three main funds which control about $1trillion. A recent investment was New York’s Chrysler Building and it owns a stake in Ferrari.

The Al Nayhan family is synonymous with Abu Dhabi’s wealth and it is with his personal bank account that Sheikh Mansour has spent £210million on buying the 90 per cent Manchester City stake.

Sheikh Mansour has a deep love of sport – he is chairman of Al Jazeera Football Club and chairman of the Emirates Horse Racing Authority.

He is a key political figure and is a member of the UAE Federal Cabinet and Minister of Presidential Affairs. In business, he is chairman of First Gulf Bank and chairman of the International Petroleum Investment Company.

He is married to the similarly fabulously wealthy Sheikha Manal bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

But despite this relationship, there is an intense rivalry between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the smaller but more entrepreneurial neighbour, who are way ahead in the race to become the global business and sports centre in the region.

Abu Dhabi has made no secret of its desire to catch up and it is this desire to tap into top sporting knowledge may also explain the lightning speed with which Sheikh Mansour snapped up the stake in Manchester City. It was only at the beginning of the summer that Thaksin Shinawatra made it known to a few trusted allies that he wanted to sell his stake. By July, he had begun early negotiations with three Gulf investors, who are currently unknown.

In Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mansour had been looking to invest in a Premier League club for a while. He caught wind of the deal and asked a trusted associate, Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim, chief executive of Hydra Properties, to approach Thaksin on his behalf.

Astonishingly it was actually only three weeks ago that the charismatic Arab businessman approached Thaksin with an offer to buy the club at a premium.

Thaksin immediately saw the seriousness of the approach and sought expert advice from Amanda Staveley, the glamorous private financier who came to prominence recently for advising Sheikh Maktoum on his protracted bid for Liverpool.

The negotiations with City were kept top secret, although careful observers of Manchester City’s directors’ box at the game against West Ham on Aug 24 would have been given a clue. In the box Thaksin was flanked by Ali Jassem, a trusted adviser of Dr Al Fahim and behind him was Staveley.

The finer details were thrashed out last week before Staveley flew to Abu Dhabi at the weekend to conclude the deal late on Sunday.

-Telegraph

LaoPo

[LaoPo]

Amanda Staveley

Amanda Staveley was a lynchpin in the sale of Manchester City FC by Thaksin Shinawatra

The girl from Doncaster who became the toast of Abu Dhabi

Wednesday, 3 September 2008

The daring takeover of Manchester City was masterminded by a financier who once turned down a marriage proposal from Prince Andrew. Cahal Milmo reports

When as an ambitious 22-year-old modern languages graduate, Amanda Staveley rose at 4am every day to cook and strip the meat from dozens of chickens, she had little idea that her pre-dawn catering activities would open the door to the glittering world of high finance and the billions of dollars at the disposal of the Arabian Gulf's ruling sheikhs.

After persuading a bank manager to lend her £180,000 to set up a restaurant in rural Cambridgeshire, Ms Staveley opened her Stocks eatery close to the British horseracing hub of Newmarket. It became popular among leading members of area's equestrian elite.

The patrons of the restaurant, where the proprietor would muck in while also dabbling in her alternative career of dealing in shares worth thousands of pounds, included senior staff from the Godolphin stables owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and the most powerful racehorse owner on the planet.

It was the beginning of an association between Ms Staveley, now 35 and a multimillionaire businesswoman, and the Middle East's wealthiest figures that reached a spectacular culmination yesterday with the news that English club football had gained a proprietor to outshine the riches of even Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan.

The new owner of Manchester City FC, who is the brother of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, the biggest of the United Arab Emirates, and has access to an estimated fortune of £550bn to fund foreign acquisitions, and his advisers spent two weeks negotiating with the Yorkshirewoman before tying up a deal that was heralded with a £32.6m statement of intent in the shape of City's acquisition of the Brazilian striker Robinho for a British record fee.

It was evidence of the growing status of Ms Staveley – whose life has waxed and waned from turning down a proposal from Prince Andrew to becoming a non-executive director of a company marketing a cream similar to Viagra – in the testosterone-fuelled world of the Premiership, that she acted as the lynchpin in a sale that has the potential to transform European football.

Although she was acting for City and its previous owner, the former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, it is understood that Ms Staveley's credentials among Middle Eastern royalty were key to the sale being completed. It is perhaps no coincidence that the sport-mad Sheikh Mansour is chairman of the Emirates Racing Authority.

A source familiar with the deal told The Independent: "Amanda is known and trusted by her contacts in the Gulf like almost no other non-Arab. She has spent a decade building that relationship. She tells things as they are and has a clarity of purpose that they appreciate. When the call came from Sheikh Mansour's representatives it would have been in no small part due to the fact that they knew they were dealing with Amanda."

It has not always been such smooth sailing for Ms Staveley, whose fashion model mother was an international show jumper and who was herself a promising athlete as a teenager while being brought up by her grandparents near Doncaster. Several of the Cambridge University graduate's early business ventures after expanding beyond Stocks fared badly, despite her claimed first million by the time she was 24.

She suffered a significant setback when an IT services company, EuroTelecom, collapsed after taking a share in Q.Ton, the conference centre and restaurant business she set up in Cambridge. Corporate investigators were brought in to carry out an inquiry into share dealings, although no claims of wrongdoing were levelled at Ms Staveley.

It was while showing off Q.Ton that Ms Staveley met Prince Andrew in 2003. A brief relationship ensued, reportedly resulting in the Duke of York proposing marriage. Ms Staveley has never denied there was a proposal but refuses to discuss the romance.

Instead, she set about rebuilding her career away from the gossip columns.

As senior director of PCP Capital Partners, a private equity company based in London's Mayfair, Ms Staveley has become a familiar face among the power brokers of football in the North-west. Careful observers would have spotted her in the directors' box at City's stadium on 24 August alongside a key aide to Dr Sulaiman al-Fahim, the billionaire frontman of Abu Dhabi United Group, the holding company carrying out this week's £210m take-over.

A few miles down the M62 at Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium, Ms Staveley has also been at the heart of the fraught negotiations between Sheikh Maktoum and his Dubai International Capital (DIC) investment vehicle, and the American owners of the club, to buy a minority 49 per cent stake.

The deal, which would have involved Ms Staveley becoming a Liverpool director, broke down earlier this year but could enter a new phase in coming weeks after Tom Hicks and George Gillett Junior announced last week that the credit crunch had forced them to postpone the construction of a new stadium, considered vital to the future financial viability of the club.

To survive in such a caustic environment, many would assume the no-nonsense privately-educated daughter of a wealthy landowner had assumed the persona of a flinty power-broker at ease only in the most exalted company to survive. In reality, she is as at home talking shop with the Merseyside faithful as discussing complex private equity deals with plutocrats.

In a sign of her ability to give as good as she gets, Ms Staveley, who was accused by Mr Hicks of leaking a confidential letter while acting for DIC (a claim which was strongly denied), yesterday made a pointed reference to her dealings with Liverpool's owners. "The investment partnership has been entered to ensure the long-term future of Manchester City. Dr Thaksin wanted to be a responsible owner and didn't want a repeat of the shenanigans at Liverpool."

It is unlikely that this is the last English football has heard of Amanda Staveley. Those thinking about seeking to stymie any future deal that could bring more Middle Eastern ownership to the Premiership should consult the report resulting from a four-day psychometric testing session which she presents to potential investors to display her leadership qualities.

It reads: "A woman of action, Amanda will do everything in her power to dismantle obstacles to goal attainment. Wasted opportunity is anathema to her and she will fight those who fail to grasp opportunity when it knocks."

-The Independent

LaoPo

[LaoPo]

A desire for the top division

Article originally published by Financial Times

Wednesday, Sep 03, 2008

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family who has emerged as the buyer of Manchester City, gave an inkling of his interest in glitzy British assets earlier this year - snapping up two trendy London restaurants, Hakkasan and Yauatcha, much-loved by the footballers' wives-and-girlfriends set.

Now, the football-and equestrian enthusiast, born in 1970, has bought a premier league club, placing himself under the intense scrutiny of legions of die-hard Blues fans.

Property and media mogul Sulaiman al-Fahim - the public face of the deal when it was announced on Monday - says he will relish that challenge.

The deal-making by Sheikh Mansour - a senior member of the ruling Al Nahyan family - highlights his rapid emergence as an influential private-sector power broker in the emirate. Like many other Gulf royals, Sheikh Mansour handles several government jobs alongside a portfolio of private businesses.

He has already blended sporting and business interests as president of Al Jazeera football club, overseeing the Abu Dhabi club's modernisation, including the development of real estate around its stadium. A keen football fan who lobbied for Abu Dhabi's hosting of next year's Fifa club world cup, Sheikh Mansour wants to play at the highest table of world football, the premiership. The deal is a private concern, however.

Other government officials were not even consulted over the plans to buy Man City.

During his day job, as minister for presidential affairs, Sheikh Mansour looks after the schedule of Abu Dhabi ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, including visits from foreign dignitaries, all of whom stay in the VIP rooms of the luxurious seven-star Emirates Palace hotel, which falls under Sheikh Mansour's ministerial oversight.

On Sunday night, the guests at the spacious, gold-leafed palace included Thaksin Shinawatra, as he sealed a deal to sell most of his Man City shares to Abu Dhabi United Investment and Development Group.

The club then launched audacious bids for expensive players, snatching Real Madrid's Brazilian star Robinho from under Chelsea's nose in a record-breaking UK transfer.

Fans are now salivating at the prospect of Abu Dhabi's oil revenues outclassing even the wealth of Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich. But few observers have a realistic estimate of Sheikh Mansour's private net worth.

As a member of the "Bani Fatima" clan of the ruling family, Sheikh Mansour is a full-brother to the crown prince and foreign minister, the reformers driving the recent conversion of Abu Dhabi from sleepy oil town to diversified economic powerhouse.

Like his father-in-law, Sheikh Mansour is a champion endurance rider, but whether he has the stamina for life in the premiership is another matter.

By Simeon Kerr

-Zawya/FT

LaoPo

[Tony Clifton]

I guess he never discussed Tak Bai and the 80 some Muslims who suffocated in the trucks with these guys, especially after blaming their Ramadan fasting causing all the deaths.

Edited September 4, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[mrbojangles]

Bye, bye, Thaksin

Not a good article at all SJ. Especially when it starts with Bye Bye Thaksin. He isn't going anywhere. Does the author know that Thaksin has retained a 10% stake in the club and that he staying as Honourary Club President?

Edited September 4, 2008 by mrbojangles

[Ricardo]

Not a good article at all SJ. Especially when it starts with Bye Bye Thaksin. He isn't going anywhere. Does the author know that Thaksin has retained a 10% stake in the club and that he staying as Honourary Club President?

You have my commiserations on that. But at least you now have a new owner, who is fully prepared and able to put in the cash required, to achieve a brighter future for the club.

Any news on whether Thaksin's son will retain his job, under the new management ?

[mrbojangles]

Not a good article at all SJ. Especially when it starts with Bye Bye Thaksin. He isn't going anywhere. Does the author know that Thaksin has retained a 10% stake in the club and that he staying as Honourary Club President?

You have my commiserations on that. But at least you now have a new owner, who is fully prepared and able to put in the cash required, to achieve a brighter future for the club.

Any news on whether Thaksin's son will retain his job, under the new management ?

Save your commiserations for someone who needs them.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Noticed this little tidbit today...

---

Thaksin Shinawatra bought City for £81.6 million.. Sold to Abu Dhabi for £210 million..

That would leave Thaksin with a profit of £281,235 PER DAY for the time he controlled the club.

---

Can say many things about the man, but he's a GREAT businessman!!

[LaoPo]

Noticed this little tidbit today...

---

Thaksin Shinawatra bought City for £81.6 million.. Sold to Abu Dhabi for £210 million..

That would leave Thaksin with a profit of £281,235 PER DAY for the time he controlled the club.

---

Can say many things about the man, but he's a GREAT businessman!!

1. the deal isn't finalized yet but he will probably make a nice profit.

2. however, he bought at a much higher GBP price than it's now.

3. a lot of money was invested since he bought the club (new players, higher salaries etc.)

One needs to see the real books but I'm afraid, we won't be able to.

LaoPo

[Tony Clifton]

Didn`t he also buy the previous owners debts as well as the 81.6 milllion pounds he paid?

[LaoPo]

Didn`t he also buy the previous owners debts as well as the 81.6 milllion pounds he paid?

Yes, but as far as I know and read, the previous debts were included in the GBP 81,6 Million.

But.....no guarantee from my side

LaoPo

[Tony Clifton]

Didn`t he also buy the previous owners debts as well as the 81.6 milllion pounds he paid?

Yes, but as far as I know and read, the previous debts were included in the GBP 81,6 Million.

But.....no guarantee from my side

LaoPo

I think he's breaking even.

I think the debts were around 140 million pounds although I can't guarantee it.

I'll dig in the old news reports from earlier and see.

[AlKing]

"Shinawatra paid £81.67 million for City in July 2007 and is selling 90 per cent of his stake to the Abu Dhabi United Group for around £210 million. That makes a notional profit of £128 million in 14 months, about £305,000 per day for Shinny!"

http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.as...5686-qqqx=1.asp

I don't believe he made the full £128 million. But I am sure quite sure he made a lot more than you and I would have made in a life time.

This is what I call profiting from a crisis.

[AlKing]

Coming back to Thaksin's visa status:

From my understanding (and please correct me if I'm wrong) he is still holder of a diplomatic passport that may or may not be revoked in the not so distant future. Further, the MC deal granted him an investor visa in the UK. What will happen to this visa? Canceled? If yes and the diplomatic passport also canceled he has to hurry with his asylum application.

I guess he can still hold on to the investment visa. Remember, he still hold 10% of Man City, which is worth a lot of pound sterling.

Edited September 8, 2008 by AlKing

[wintermute]

Noticed this little tidbit today...

---

Thaksin Shinawatra bought City for £81.6 million.. Sold to Abu Dhabi for £210 million..

That would leave Thaksin with a profit of £281,235 PER DAY for the time he controlled the club.

---

Can say many things about the man, but he's a GREAT businessman!!

Yep, you don't become a billionaire for being a chump. He knew it was undervalued and he knew how to pump up the reputation and hype in order to offload it to a wealthier individual. Thaksin may be a lot of things but he's no fool when it comes to big business.

[Heng]

But he couldn't have made a profit! Apart from the PAD t-shirts I just ordered -on sale- from ASTV, my day is ruined. *Pout pout*

[Tony Clifton]

Some results say he bought approx. 60 million pound of debts on top of the 81 million pounds he paid for MCFC.

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=th...earch&meta=

[LaoPo]

Some results say he bought approx. 60 million pound of debts on top of the 81 million pounds he paid for MCFC.

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=th...earch&meta=

"The 81.6 million price tag for City includes 40 pence each for the club's shares and 60 million pounds of debt. UK Sports Investments currently controls around 56 percent of the shares."

http://www.javno.com/en/sports/clanak.php?id=55530

BUT, who really cares ?

It's almost a finalized deal that he now sold the club again, for whatever price, to the Abu Dhabi chaps.

It will be no more than a few years before ALL League clubs belong to very wealthy chaps or countries. If that's a promising future remains to be seen.

LaoPo