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Saudi boxing supremo swoops for Rams

The man behind Saudi Arabia’s takeover of boxing wants to buy Derby County.  It is understood that the English Football League and the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) are aware of Turki Al-Sheikh’s interest in the Championship club, but both organisations declined to comment when approached by The Times.

Al-Sheikh is an adviser in Saudi Arabia’s royal court and serves as the head of the General Entertainment Authority. The 44-year-old has flooded boxing with unprecedented riches under the “Riyadh Season” banner, staging multiple bouts involving Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the Saudi capital, along with bankrolling stadium fights on British soil.

Al-Sheikh will have to demonstrate to the IFR that the source of any takeover’s funding was separate to the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns Newcastle United. 

Derby finished eighth in the Championship last season, missing out on the play-offs by four points. David Clowes, a property developer and boyhood fan, spent £55million to take the club out of administration in 2022. Clowes paid £33million to purchase the club, which included £19.7million paid to creditors, while a separate £22million deal also covered purchasing Pride Park Stadium. 

Clowes is reported to have previously entertained discussions about selling a majority stake in the club but wanted to remain involved in a boardroom capacity. That could be a preferable arrangement for the Saudi government minister, who can inject significant capital that would allow the club to vie for Premier League promotion while limiting his day-to-day involvement.

Al-Sheikh, who recently followed a number of Derby-aligned accounts on social media, was previously linked with an approach for fellow championship side Bristol City last year.  Al-Sheikh is a Manchester United supporter and formerly owned Egyptian football club Pyramids and UD Almería in Spain, but boxing has been his chief priority in recent years. 

If the investment proceeds, it would further expand Saudi Arabia’s influence on global football. The PIF’s purchase of Newcastle in 2021 was followed by an extraordinary campaign of spending that brought the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Jordan Henderson to the Saudi Pro League. 

That investment has slowed of late with Al-Hilal, the biggest club in Saudi, sold to a private investor. However, Saudi Arabia has already achieved its ultimate sporting goal of winning the rights to host the 2034 World Cup following the success of regional neighbour’s Qatar in 2022.

 

 

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