Thailand's tycoon prime minister said yesterday that he is in the final stages of negotiations to buy a stake in English Premier League soccer team Liverpool, and a deal could be finalized in less than five days.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that a group of Liverpool representatives will meet with him later yesterday to wrap up the final discussion on his bid to buy a 30 percent stake in the club.
After the talks, the Liverpool officials will go back to England to meet with the club's board and present the outcome of their negotiations.
"If the board is happy with the result of talks then we can make a joint announcement later this week, may be on Friday," Thaksin said.
He said the 30 percent stake will cost more than 4 billion baht (US$100 million), which he will raise by inviting Thai businessmen to join the investment.
"It is a good business prospect since the team is in top five of the English league," he said.
The deal also includes establishing soccer academies in Thailand to promote Thai youngsters into the world arena through both sport and academic teaching, he said.
Thaksin turned to Liverpool in February after failing in a bid to purchase Fulham, owned by his good friend, Harrods store owner Mohammed al Fayed.
European soccer is wildly popular in Thailand, mainly because of lucrative but illegal betting on English Premier League games.
Thaksin, estimated two years ago by Forbes magazine to be worth US$1 billion, made his fortune in the telecommunications business before joining politics.
His family's Shin Corp is Thailand's largest telecoms group with businesses ranging from satellites to cellular phones.
Several Thai newspapers have reported that Thaksin's prospective partners in the Liverpool venture include local beer baron Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, whose Thai Beverages has a dominant position in the local market with its Chang Beer and Mekhong whisky.
Liverpool chairman David Moores owns a 51 percent stake in the club followed by television company Granada with 9.9 percent and property developer Steve Morgan at 5 percent. Morgan had tried to raise his stake but was rebuffed by the club's board in March.
If the deal goes through, Thaksin's collective will hold the second-biggest stake in the club, which could bring lucrative rewards.
TOOTHLESS: Bologna never looked like finding a way back, and Antonio Conte and his substitutes were waiting to celebrate long before the final whistle SSC Napoli on Monday lifted the Italian Supercoppa with a 2-0 win over Bologna in Riyadh, David Neres netting both goals to earn the league champions a deserved victory over the toothless Coppa Italia winners. Neres opened the scoring with a stunning strike from distance six minutes before halftime and found the net again in the 57th minute when Bologna were caught trying to play out of defense. “We came here as champions of Italy, we wanted this trophy and we showed it with a great performance,” Napoli forward Matteo Politano told Mediaset. “We could have scored a few more goals, but
Backup quarterback Luke Weaver on Wednesday night threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, as the University of Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over the University of California, Berkeley in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl. Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous play. With the Rainbow Warriors (9-4) in range for a tying field goal, coach Timmy Chang took a shot at the end zone, and Cenacle got between two defensive backs and made the contested catch. “How amazing is that?” Chang said. “It’s a program that is built
Hosts Morocco on Friday were held to a 1-1 draw by Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations, ending their world record run of wins and leaving them still to make sure of progress to the next stage. Midfielder Brahim Diaz tucked away a penalty in stoppage-time at the end of the first half, but Mali equalized from the spot midway through the second half through Lassine Sinayoko. Both penalties were awarded after video reviews in a tempestuous clash at the end of a busy day of action at the tournament. Morocco were atop the Group A standings with four points, while Zambia,
An astounding 20 wickets fell on a frantic first day of the fourth Ashes Test yesterday, with Australia all out for 152 before storming back to dismiss England for 110 and leave the clash on a knife-edge. England skipper Ben Stokes won a key toss on a green track and his quicks feasted after sending in the hosts under overcast skies in front of 94,199 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was the biggest cricket crowd ever at the cavernous arena, exceeding the 93,013 who watched the 2015 World Cup final, and they witnessed the home side collapse with Josh Tongue
RSS