2021 - 2022 Football Thread - Page 96

Exclusive: Saudi Media, a private consortium, have made contact with Raine Group about buying Chelsea from Roman Abramovich. At least 10 bids in now and more are still coming

[Nizzar Kinsella] Inside Saudi Media's Chelsea takeover bid: Renew Rudiger's contract and rebuild Stamford Bridge

Saudi Media's priorities will be focused upon renewing key players' contacts with developing Stamford Bridge as well. They intend to invest heavily in Cobham and Women's team as well.

Mohamed Alkhereiji, who runs Saudi Media and is the CEO of the parent company Engineer Holding Group, which was founded by his father Abdulelah AlKhereiji. He was in UK for studies and has attended several matches at the Bridge as well.

Alkhereiji and his children are Chelsea fans, which is why he is so keen to acquire the club. However, he primarily supports Saudi Arabian outfit Al Nassr, for whom he built a new, state-of-the-art stadium in Mrsool Park.

Saudi Media is the biggest media group in the Middle East, and also has interests in advertising, hospitality, the banking sector and sports. The company turns over $1 billion a year, giving it scope to be a powerful player in English football. Thiugh Saudi Media's takeover bid will be co-funded by a consortium of various other private backers from Saudi Arabia.

The club have discouraged politically sensitive parties but unlike PSG, Manchester City or New Castle, Saudi Media is a private entity and has no ties with any ruler or government. They also employ a large number of women employees as Saudi Arabia's record on women's rights, in particular, is a concern to many civil rights groups. So Premier League would have no reason to block any buds from SMC.

SMC are ready to tackle the major challenge of rebuilding Stamford Bridge, which could cost upwards of £1.5bn ($2bn). Their previous experience building football stadiums and infrastructure is being touted as a key advantage of their bid, with their existing connections in marketing and advertising also considered a major asset in terms of helping to cover the costs involved in such an ambitious redevelopment project. Indeed, it is believed that they can attract the most lucrative sponsors to the club, and this is significant because Chelsea have long had trouble matching the commercial draw of Premier League rivals Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.

On March 15 2022 18:23 gTank wrote:
https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/12566357/carra-chelsea-fans-are-being-hypocrital

this is so true ^