A-League club Adelaide United has been sold to a European-based consortium for an undisclosed sum.
The Netherlands-based consortium has bought the club from its South Australian owners including Robert Gerard, who had been a 30 per cent stakeholder.
“It’s mainly Dutch people … they do own football clubs and they wanted to grow their little group of clubs,” Gerard said on Wednesday on radio FIVEaa.
The consortium owned other clubs in Holland, France and China, he said.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) on Wednesday ratified the sale.
Gerard had owned a 30 per cent stake in United with the club’s chairman Greg Griffin, while Richard Noble and Bruno Marveggio had each had 20 per cent.
The quartet bought the club eight years ago from FFA.
“It was an absolute shambles when we arrived,” Gerard said.
“And I explained when we started eight years ago that we did it to save the soccer club and we did it for Adelaide, and I think that was the key.
“… We poured a lot of money into it … in the end, I believe the job was done.
“Eight years and then someone rang me up, and I suppose then you think ‘did you do the job?’. Well, yes, I think it is done well.”
Gerard refused to disclose what the European consortium paid for the club but said his fellow SA owners “would all have smiles on their faces, much more than they ever thought was going to happen”.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Look around the A-League and count the players that have a link to Adelaide and junior competitions!
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Orange is not a football colour (A-League or AFL)!
jamesb
Guest
It's early days with the new Adelaide owners. If they invest in a football academy, just like the City Football Group, then they are putting some "investment back in the game" I know Aaron Mooy didn't go through the academy, but the CFG did make some good business with the sale of Mooy to Huddersfield. The sale of Mooy has benefitted both the CFG and Australian football.
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
One owner making a tidy profit via selling his club to another private owner does not necessariy equate to "investment in the game".
c
Guest
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/football/a-league/teams/adelaide/greg-griffin-says-adelaide-united-happily-consumed-almost-eight-years-of-his-life-before-revealing-the-reds-will-become-better-with-an-aleague-competitor-from-sa/news-story/6ebfe89225eeaca67a35ef37651e540f
LuckyEddie
Guest
Maybe they do not want to throw $25m down the drain like the current owners have. No one will buy the Roar at a fair price because - we play in a costly souless and over priced stadium, the owners have no access to the catering rights and no say what so ever in regard to the scheduling of games. Oh forgot and will play in worst humidity going instead of doing the logical thing and move to winter. Now do you understand why Roar is going no where.
Griffo
Roar Guru
FFA endorsed this but I'd say it also makes their job of control that much harder with additional foreign investors joining CFG-led negotiations. Only time will tell if good for Adelaide but with a Commonwealth bid brewing, and willing new investment, this seems positive for the club and region.
Nemesis
Guest
The owner of SydFC could buy Ronaldo & Messi right now to play Aleague. The Salary Cap regulations allow him to do this. But, he chooses not to.
Kangajets
Guest
Good comment We definitely need more money coming into the A league
Waz
Roar Rookie
Why do you think the salary cap is attractive to overseas investors like CFG? And why wouldn’t the billionaire owner of SFC be wishing he could spend more on players as he watches his “salary capped squad” tank in the ACL?
Football is Life
Guest
Morning Lads, The way I see this, the more investment we get in football from overseas, the more the game will be strengthened, and the added bonus is that the knowledge comes with it. We can only hope that the FFA is smart enough that when they engage with these club owners, they draw upon their knowledge. Additionally, look at how many blokes want to cut their teeth as a manager in the A-League. Hierro, Dunga, Fowler etc, etc. We should be marketing the league to future managers. This is a real opportunity to measure the quality of a manager. With limited squad numbers, a salary cap, the inclusion of youth etc, if a manager can excel here then he has tested himself........again and I know I have said it a million times, Kurz is ticking all these boxes and so is Newy's master coach Ernie Merrick. You might disagree, but O'Rouke, A-League CEO seems to understand all this but his hands a tied by twiddle-dum and twiddle-dummer at the top.
reuster75
Roar Rookie
This is why I think that the salary cap will stay even if the a-league is independently run, as fixed costs would be attractive to would be investors. Hopefully the new owners will really invest in youth football in SA as that would be a win for the whole sport in this country as well.
JAJI
Guest
So Greg Griffin, who has winged and wined for how long against the FFA (especially via his SBS mouthpiece) now waltzes off with a sale......he has the long term interest in Football correct?
Kangajets
Guest
Rolly I’m hearing ya mate We need some one running the game with a bit of ambition Meanwhile get behind the Wollongong wolves , I’d love to get down to the gong for away trip one day
Newie
Guest
Is this the same $15M deal that Val Migliacco at the Adelaide Advertiser was saying was a Chinese group about three days ago?
rob
Guest
yes griffen reckons he pays 6ook for marquee but Adelaide don't have marquees just free transfers of players with dubious history
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
We zijn voetbal.
Post_hoc
Guest
Fadida and Punter, both well said.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Well, we don’t know they didn’t try and buy Roar? But we do know Roars owners turned down a $10m and a $13m offer and are rumoured to have turned down a near $20m as well. We also know Nirwan Bakrie has said the Roar are not for sake. So who knows?
Rolly
Guest
So why can we not use this model to expand the A league .find overseas backers for clubs like Wollongong Geelong Canberra .there are investors overseas wanting to be involved