Southampton Football Club Confirm Sport Republic Acquires Ownership of Club

On 4th January, Southampton Football Club announced that Sports Republic has completed the acquisition of a controlling stake in Southampton Football Clubb for a reported fee of around USD 135 million (£100 million). Sport Republic is a London-based investment firm in the sports and entertainment industry. The company have purchased the shareholding of the club held by Gao Jisheng, a Chinese businessman who purchased 80% share in the football club in 2017.

Southampton Football Club Confirm Sport Republic Acquires Ownership of Club
Southampton Football Club

On 4th January, Southampton Football Club announced that Sports Republic has completed the acquisition of a controlling stake in Southampton Football Clubb for a reported fee of around USD 135 million (£100 million). Sport Republic is a London-based investment firm in the sports and entertainment industry. The company have purchased the shareholding of the club held by Gao Jisheng, a Chinese businessman who purchased 80% share in the football club in 2017.

Sports Republic will work in partnership with Katharina Liebherr, who retained her 20% minority shareholding in the premier league club.

Commenting on the acquisition, Martin Semmens, CEO of Southampton Football Club, said, “Over the last two years, together with the shareholders of our club, we have searched for the right partner to take the club forward. Today we have found the perfect solution for our club. Sport Republic are experienced investors, but also experienced within the world of elite professional sports. That combination is very hard to find, and we are thrilled to have reached an agreement that secures our short and long-term future.”

Dragon Solak, the founder of United Group, is said to be behind Sport Republic and one of the lead investors of the company. The company, Sports Republic, will examine  offers for clubs in other international leagues, replicating a strategy employed by the owners of another English premier league club, Manchester City.

Commenting on the deal, Mr. Solak said, “My partners and I have experience in long-term investments in the sports and entertainment industry and Sport Republic has been founded to combine this expertise and deliver something unique to the market. Southampton has so many of the qualities we have been looking for in a major sports organisation. It has a great management team, excellent talent development, talented teams playing attractive football and a dedicated fan base. We are delighted to be able to complete this acquisition as a first step towards execution of our investment strategy. Southampton will be a cornerstone of the organisation we plan to build.”

The chairman of Sports Republic, Henrik Kraft, added, ““We will be an active and engaged owner, but we will not be starting any revolutions. We were attracted to Southampton because it is already a well-run club that follows a clearly defined strategy.”